Rudy Giuliani: Trump behöver vittna

The 2017–present Special Counsel investigation is a United States law enforcement investigation of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and any Russian (or other foreign) interference in the election, including exploring any possible links or coordination between Trump’s campaign and the Russian government, "and any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation." Since May 2017, the investigation has been led by a United States Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, a former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Mueller's investigation took over several FBI investigations including those involving former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. On October 30, 2017, Manafort and his business partner Rick Gates surrendered to the FBI on charges brought by Mueller. That day, his team revealed former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos had pleaded guilty on October 5 to making false statements to FBI agents about contacts he had with agents of the Russian government while working for the Trump campaign in 2016, and was cooperating with investigators. On December 1, Flynn pleaded guilty to "willfully and knowingly" making "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements" to the FBI, and later announced he is cooperating with Mueller's investigation and "working to set things right". On February 16, 2018, Mueller released two more indictments, the most prominent one charging 13 Russian citizens and 3 Russian entities. On February 22, 2018, Mueller released new charges against Manafort and Gates. As of February 23, 2018, Mueller has secured guilty pleas from five people: Flynn, Gates, Papadopoulos, private citizen Richard Pinedo, and Dutch attorney Alex van der Zwaan. Additional indictments have been issued against Manafort, thirteen Russian citizens, and three Russian entities. On April 3, 2018, van der Zwaan was sentenced to 30 days in prison, and fined $20,000. According to former FBI Director James Comey, Trump himself was not a subject of the FBI's investigation as of May 9, 2017, when Comey was fired. As of March 2018, Trump is reportedly a "subject" of the investigation, meaning his conduct is being looked at, but not a "target" which would indicate the likelihood of criminal charges. The question of an interview with Trump has been under negotiation between Trump's attorneys and representatives of the special counsel since at least January 2018. Trump's lawyers reportedly have advised him against a wide-ranging interview with Mueller. The Associated Press reported on May 1, 2018, that in March 2018 Mueller broached with Trump's attorneys the possibility of subpoenaing Trump to compel him to testify; CNN reported that Trump's attorneys were preparing for a protracted "legal showdown" over the matter. According to Rudy Giuliani, a member of President Trump's legal team, Mueller's team told him that they cannot indict a sitting president; they can only write a report at the conclusion of the investigation.