Giuliani Sets Tough New Conditions for Trump Interview

The White House is changing its posture in the ongoing saga of the Mueller probe. Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani tells the New York Times that the president will sit for an interview with Robert Mueller only if the special counsel can show evidence that Trump committed a crime. "If they can come to us and show us the basis and that it’s legitimate and that they have uncovered something, we can go from there," Giuliani said, acknowledging that it's not likely Mueller will agree to the new conditions. However, as the Times notes, it remains possible for Mueller to subpoena Trump in his bid to uncover any links between Russia and the Trump presidential campaign.

According to Vox, Giuliani's move is part of team Trump's increasingly combative stance against the special counsel. Part of that strategy involves a PR campaign to paint the investigation as an unfair assault on Trump. Should such a campaign successfully sway public opinion, congressional action against Trump would be less likely should Mueller's report cast the president in an unflattering—or, possibly, impeachment-worthy—light. To the Times, Giuliani openly admits this strategy. “Nobody is going to consider impeachment if public opinion has concluded this is an unfair investigation, and that’s why public opinion is so important,” he said. (More Rudy Giuliani stories.)