Giuliani Says Mueller Will Wrap Up Trump Obstruction Probe By September: Report
President Donald Trumpâs lawyer Rudy Giuliani said that special counsel Robert Mueller expects to wrap up the portion of his Russia probe focusing on the presidentâs potential obstruction by Sept. 1, The New York Times reported Sunday.
The former New York City mayor told the Times that Muellerâs office gave the Trump team that timeline two weeks ago, amid negotiations on whether Trump would be willing to be interviewed by Muellerâs team, Giuliani said.
The Timesâ report suggested that Giuliani may be trying to put public pressure on Mueller by sharing that end date. Giuliani also urged that the larger investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election wrap up soon, warning that prolonging the probe risks influencing voters in the midterm elections in November.
He reportedly cited former FBI Director James Comey as an example, pointing to Comeyâs announcement, just days before the 2016 election, that he would reopen an investigation into Hillary Clintonâs use of a private server, and how that act was blamed for her losing the White House.
The investigation into obstruction is only one part of Muellerâs probe, however, meaning the case wouldnât necessarily end with its completion.
A spokesman for the special counselâs office declined to comment when reached by the Times.
Giuliani joined Trumpâs legal team last month, and in the weeks since has made statements that contradict Trump and his former legal team.
Earlier this month, Giuliani described himself as ânot an expert on the facts, yet. Iâm getting there.â
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.