Trump's lawyer says he won't answer Mueller's obstruction of justice questions

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider; Alex Wong/Getty; Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

• President Donald Trump submitted written answers to Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia probe, but refused to answer questions on his behavior as president, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani said.
• This round of questions didn't include possible obstruction of justice, but Giuliani said Trump wouldn't answer them anyway.
• Giuliani seemed to say he's found a way around answering some of Mueller's more damning questions through executive privilege.

President Donald Trump won't answer Special Counsel Robert Mueller's questions on his possible obstruction of justice as president, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani told Axios on Wednesday.

Trump submitted written answers to the Mueller's Russia probe on Tuesday but refused to answer questions behavior as president, Axios reported.

The answers mark an important milestone in the probe into the Trump presidential campaign's ties with Russia, as it is the first time the president described to investigators his knowledge of key moments of the campaign.

Mueller's latest questions included no questions or answers about allegations of obstruction of justice against Trump, but Giuliani said the Special Counsel "can't tell you he's given up on obstruction."

While Mueller could subpoena Trump on his activities as president, Giuliani said it will likely not work, and Trump will refuse to cooperate on that matter.

"I don't think he has any way to compel testimony on obstruction because the argument of executive privilege would be very, very strong. It all relates to a period of time after he was president," Giuliani told the news website.

Leah Millis/Reuters

Mueller, in the past, has seemed to acknowledge that the issue of executive privilege could complicate matters in the investigation, particularly as it relates to a presidential interview.

Executive privilege gives the president and executive branch the power to resist subpoenas from Congress and the judicial branch when they seek information.

Mueller's questions to Trump have often been mentioned as a "perjury trap," as they could force Trump to bend the facts under oath, but Giuliani seemed to think they had a way around that.

"The law definitely requires that if you're going to subpoena a president, you have to show that you can't get the information any place else," Giuliani said, suggesting Mueller may have to go on public records and not sworn testimony from Trump.

Giuliani also delved into details about the nature of the questions, saying they mostly pertained to possible collusion with Russia during the 2016 campaign.

Read Axios' article here.