Joshua Roberts/Reuters
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has been interviewed by Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation team, CNN reports. Kelly responded to questions from special counsel investigators after White House lawyers initially objected to Mueller’s request to do the interview earlier this summer, according to CNN. Kelly is expected to leave his position in the coming days, as he is reportedly no longer on speaking terms with President Donald Trump.
The questions for Kelly centered on an incident that occurred following the publication of a New York Times report that said the president had tried to fire Mueller, CNN reports. Trump was reportedly angry at former White House counsel Don McGahn’s refusal to publicly deny the reporting. The special counsel wanted Kelly to try to corroborate McGahn’s version of events, CNN reported. Kelly didn’t join the White House until July 2017. A majority of Mueller’s other interviews have been with people associated with the Trump campaign or who served early on in the administration.