One day after President Trump insisted once again there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia and wavered on whether he would interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, CNN says friends are warning the president against it.
Some key allies on Capitol Hill also are urging Trump to avoid potential political and legal jeopardy and not answer questions from Mueller. They are part of a group of supporters ranging from lawyers on the Trump team and in the White House orbit to friends who say it would be unwise for the President to talk. Others say Trump should find a way to cooperate that limits his potential legal exposure.
Yesterday's "We'll see what happens" was a complete turnaround from the president's position just a few months ago:
In June, Trump said he was "100 percent" willing to testify under oath about his conversations with former FBI Director James Comey. Comey's firing is an area of interest to Mueller's team, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
CNN cites a source close to the president who says Trump actually does want to testify but does not understand the full scope of Mueller's inquiry.
The source is concerned that no one around Trump is telling him the truth about the realities of this investigation, which has spread beyond inquiries into collusion with Russia to questions about whether the firing of Comey was obstruction of justice.
A friend of Trump's said the question of whether he should directly speak with Mueller's team is a "continual debate. He wants to testify. This is obviously a gigantic tactical issue."
The President, he says, is too eager. "He says 'Just let me at it', and that's the problem."
Full story: Trump allies urge him not to talk to Mueller (CNN)