In discussing the Trump team’s response to Robert Mueller’s proposal for an interview, Rudy Giuliani declined to characterize the substance of the counter-offer. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo Trump's lawyers respond to Mueller's proposal for interview

President Donald Trump's lawyers said Wednesday they sent a formal response to Robert Mueller's proposal for terms of a possible presidential interview, extending the months-long drama over whether the president will meet with the special counsel's investigators.

Trump's lawyers Jay Sekulow and Rudy Giuliani declined to characterize the details of their counter-offer, but Giuliani said the reply is a restatement of their broader desire that Mueller's investigation conclude "without further delay."


Still, the back-and-forth dialogue indicates that Trump hasn't closed the door on a formal interview with Mueller, who is investigating potential Trump campaign contacts with Russians who interfered in the 2016 election — and whether Trump attempted to obstruct the probe since taking office.

Giuliani has forcefully attacked the investigation as corrupt and at times appeared to rule out permitting the president to take questions about possible obstruction of justice. But he told POLITICO on Tuesday that there may be an accord in which a few obstruction questions would be allowed.

“If he can demonstrate to us he’s got a couple questions on obstruction that he doesn’t have the answer to, that he really needs the answer to, and he hasn’t made up his mind that Trump is lying, we might — we might — allow that,” Giuliani said.

"It’s not so much obstruction questions" the president's team is worried about, Giuliani said. "It’s really sucker punches."

It's unclear whether the letter to Mueller's team includes such a concession. "It is not appropriate, at this time, to comment publicly about the content of that response," Sekulow said in a statement.

Giuliani previously indicated that he expected to make a final call on a voluntary presidential interview by next week. If Trump declines to sit for an interview, it could prompt Mueller to issue a subpoena, which could launch a months-long court fight that could wind up in the Supreme Court.

Asked about that possibility Tuesday, Giuliani said he didn't think the president could be required to speak to investigators.

"He can give us a subpoena," he said. "I don’t think he can force us to testify.”

Darren Samuelsohn contributed to this report.

