The following article by Josh Dawsey and Annie Karni was posted on the politico.com website October 13, 2017:
‘He was happy to answer all of their questions,’ the former White House chief of staff’s lawyer said.
Former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus was interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team on Friday, according to his lawyer, William Burck.
“Mr. Priebus was voluntarily interviewed by Special Counsel Mueller’s team today. He was happy to answer all of their questions,” Burck said.
The interview, which took place at the special counsel’s office, was expected as part of Mueller’s sprawling Russia-related investigation. Priebus had been preparing for several weeks, according to people who spoke with him.
Priebus didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.
Mueller’s team is expected to interview a number of other current and former White House aides, including former press secretary Sean Spicer, current chief counsel Don McGahn and communications director Hope Hicks.
Mueller’s team is interested in a number of actions Trump took in office, including the abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey, a misleading statement written on Air Force One about Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer during the campaign, and meetings Trump held as president with Russians, including former ambassador Sergei Kislyak and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing. The forthcoming interviews are part of a wide-ranging investigation that is looking at Russian meddling in the election and the business dealings of former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, among other matters.
Priebus is seen as a key player in understanding the president’s actions because he was present for many meetings, including discussions on firing Comey and White House meetings with Russian officials. He also was privy to White House internal documents.
The former Republican National Committee chairman also had private conversations with Comey and other law enforcement officials as White House chief of staff and was near the Oval Office when Trump allegedly asked Comey to go easy on Flynn.
Priebus also played a key role on the presidential campaign and spent thousands of hours with Trump.
Trump allies have been particularly concerned about Priebus, several officials and advisers said, because he was often the target of sharp criticism from Trump in the six months he was chief of staff.
Priebus is said to have argued against the Comey firing, and he is not believed to be a target of the investigation.