x
Breaking News
More () »

Mueller told Trump's lawyers he could 'compel' president to testify via subpoena

The Trump legal team has been in active negotiations with Mueller's team.
Credit: Alex Wong/LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on April 24, 2018. | FBI Director Robert Mueller speaks during a news conference at the FBI headquarters June 25, 2008 in Washington, DC.

(ABC NEWS) -- Special Counsel Robert Mueller told Donald Trump's legal team directly he could "compel" the president to testify via a grand jury subpoena if Trump declined a potential request for an interview, two sources told ABC News.

For the last several months, the Trump legal team has been in active negotiations with Mueller's team pursuing such an interview, which would include either a face-to-face interview with parameters, a written questionnaire or some mix of the two, according to two sources familiar with the conversation from a meeting in early March.

The possibility of a presidential subpoena by Mueller was first reported by the Washington Post.

Negotiations stalled in March because of the abrupt departure of the president's lead attorney, John Dowd, but talks resumed in recent weeks after Rudy Giuliani joined the legal team.

Trump's lawyers created a list of 49 questions based off the ongoing negotiations with Mueller's team and centered around areas the special counsel would like to ask the president.

Sources familiar with the list confirmed its authenticity to ABC News after the New York Times published the list of questions.

Trump’s lawyers and the special counsel's office each declined to comment to ABC News.

Before You Leave, Check This Out