Reporting by CBS News’ Major Garrett
President Trump has told special counsel Robert Mueller in written responses that sometime political adviser Roger Stone did not tell him about WikiLeaks’ plan to release hacked Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential campaign, and that he wasn’t informed about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting his son and campaign officials held with a Russian lawyer, sources familiar with the process tell CBS News chief White House correspondent Major Garrett.
The sources also confirmed that Mr. Trump essentially noted in writing that his answers were to the best of his recollection. His answers were consistent with statements and tweets on those two underlying matters. CNN first reported the president’s general responses.
There has been no discussion, according to those sources, about a second round of written questions and answers or a face-to-face meeting between Mueller’s team and Mr. Trump’s legal team since the written answers were submitted. The president’s lawyers turned in the answers shortly before Thanksgiving.
The president’s legal team and Mueller’s team had long been negotiating the terms of questions and answers to submit to the president.
In July, Mr. Trump told CBS News in July he’s “always wanted to do an interview” with Mueller, but has since said that is less likely. He frequently disparages the special counsel’s investigation, referring to it on Twitter as a “witch hunt.”
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