Trump asked witnesses about special counsel conversations: Report

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has been informed of two occasions where US President Donald Trump had asked key witnesses about matters they discussed with investigators probing the 2016 alleged Russian meddling, a New York Times report said.

In the first occasion, Trump had asked his former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, how his interview had gone with the special counsel's investigators and whether they had been "nice", the report revealed on Wednesday.

In the second occasion, Trump reportedly told an aide that White House counsel Donald McGahn should put out a statement denying a January 25 Times report in which the daily said that McGahn told investigators that the President had asked him to fire Mueller.

The special counsel's investigation is currently one of several probes looking into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump campaign associates have any ties with Russians.

Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion.

"The episodes demonstrate that even as the special counsel investigation appears to be intensifying, the president has ignored his lawyers' advice to avoid doing anything publicly or privately that could create the appearance of interfering with it," the New York Times report said.

In investigating Russian election interference, Mueller is also examining whether the president tried to obstruct the inquiry.

--IANS

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