President Trump says he “would like to” testify before the special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
When asked Thursday at the White House whether Mr. Trump would like to testify, he nodded and said, “Yes. I would like to.” He made the remark while departing a signing ceremony for a memorandum directing the U.S. Trade Representative to impose an estimated $50 billion in tariffs on China.
His comment also came shortly after news that John Dowd — a top attorney on Mr. Trump’s personal legal team who said it’s time for the Russia collusion probe to end — resigned from the president’s personal legal team, CBS News confirmed.
“I love the president and wish him well,” Dowd told CBS News.
On Saturday, Dowd made news when he said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should “bring an end” to Mueller’s investigation.
“I pray that Acting Attorney General Rosenstein will follow the brilliant and courageous example of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility and Attorney General Jeff Sessions and bring an end to alleged Russia Collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe’s boss James Comey based upon a fraudulent and corrupt Dossier,” Dowd wrote to CBS News.
“Just end it on the merits in light of recent revelations,” he added.
Dowd’s departure comes just days after Mr. Trump brought on Joe diGenova, a former criminal lawyer and federal prosecutor who regularly appears on Fox News, to his personal legal team.
Mueller is looking into contacts between Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia and Russian meddling in the presidential election. Mr. Trump has long been frustrated by the lengthy and intensifying probe, and insists his 2016 presidential campaign did not collude with Russia to influence the election in his favor. The president has repeatedly disparaged the special counsel’s probe, claiming the investigation may be biased against him.
The White House has since denied rumors that the president was considering firing Mueller. White House lawyer Ty Cobb said in a statement last week, “the White House yet again confirms that the President is not considering or discussing the firing of the Special Counsel, Robert Mueller.”
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