Trump answers Mueller questions in writing

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump has submitted written answers to special counsel Robert Mueller’s office related to its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, White House counsel said Tuesday. The written answers represent a compromise nearly a year in the making that lets the president avoid a sit-down interview.

Months ago, investigators presented Trump’s legal team with questions about whether his campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to sway the election. They also wanted to know whether the president’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey was intended to obstruct the Russia probe. The answers submitted represent another compromise: Mueller’s office agreed to temporarily table questions about possible obstruction and focus instead on the 2016 campaign. Trump’s legal team said it would not release copies of the questions and answers or discuss any communication it had with Mueller’s office. The president told reporters last week that he wrote the responses himself.