Rudy Giuliani: Mueller intends to finish obstruction investigation into Trump by Sept. 1

by Naomi Lim
May 20, 2018 04:39 PM

Special counsel Robert Mueller will likely conclude his probe into whether President Trump obstructed the Russia investigation by Sept. 1, according to Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Mueller's timeline, shared with Giuliani as Trump's legal team negotiate with the office of the special counsel over whether the president will consent to a voluntary interview, was laid out in an effort to avoid affecting the 2018 midterm elections, per the New York Times.

“You don’t want another repeat of the 2016 election where you get contrary reports at the end and you don’t know how it affected the election,” Giuliani told the newspaper, referring to former FBI Director James Comey's handling of the bureau's investigation of Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign.

“We want the concentration of this to be on Comey versus the president’s credibility, and I think we win that and people get that,” Giuliani added.

Giuliani said he and his colleagues were still in talks about the terms of a possible interview, which could take place around July 4 in order not to divert Trump's attention away from his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12.

Earlier Sunday, Trump tweeted that Republicans needed to get “tough” with Mueller as the midterms fast approach.

"Now that the Witch Hunt has given up on Russia and is looking at the rest of the World, they should easily be able to take it into the Mid-Term Elections where they can put some hurt on the Republican Party. Don’t worry about Dems FISA Abuse, missing Emails or Fraudulent Dossier!" he wrote.

While the New York Times article signals Mueller may be wrapping up his examination of potential obstruction of justice claims, his investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 election will continue, culminating in another report to the Justice Department with recommendations and referrals.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/n...rump-by-sept-1