Russia probe: Robert Mueller could have subpoenaed Donald Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Special Counsel Robert Mueller Robert Mueller. File

Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump’s lawyers in March, raised the possibility of issuing a subpoena for Mr. Trump if he declines to talk to investigators in the Russia probe, a former lawyer for Mr. Trump said on Tuesday.

John Dowd said that Mr. Mueller mentioned the possibility of a subpoena in the early March meeting. Mr. Mueller’s subpoena warning was first reported by The Washington Post , which cited four people familiar with the encounter.

President’s reticence

“This isn’t some game. You are screwing with the work of the President of the United States,” Mr. Dowd said he told the investigators, who are probing possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Mr. Dowd left the legal team about two weeks after the meeting.

The Post said Mr. Mueller had raised the possibility of a subpoena after Mr. Trump’s lawyers said the President had no obligation to talk with federal investigators involved in the probe.

After the March meeting, Mr. Mueller’s team agreed to provide the President’s lawyers with more specific information about the subjects they wished to ask Mr. Trump,

The Post reported.

With that information, Mr. Trump’s lawyer Jay Sekulow compiled a list of 49 questions the President’s legal team believed he would be asked, according to The Post .

That list, first reported by The New York Times on Monday, includes questions on Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia and others to determine whether the President may have unlawfully tried to obstruct the investigation.