President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE's legal team defending him against the Russia investigation are blaming his first attorney's strategy of cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE for setting them behind in their defense, according to a report in The New York Times.

John Dowd, the first head of Trump’s personal legal team who resigned in March, advocated for full cooperation with Mueller and reportedly did not conduct his own investigation into Trump's actions or what information witnesses might tell Mueller.

The Times reported that a result of Dowd’s strategy, at least 10 senior administration officials, including White House counsel Don McGahn, interviewed with Mueller’s team without first consulting with the president’s personal legal team.

“None of this true. You have been badly misinformed,” Dowd told the Times in a statement.

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But critics of Dowd's strategy, including former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, told the Times that it left Trump's legal team in the dark. Others reportedly indicated to the Times that Dowd should not have believed the president's blanket insistence that he did nothing wrong that Mueller might uncover.

The report comes after former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort Paul John ManafortOur Constitution is under attack by Attorney General William Barr Bannon trial date set in alleged border wall scam Conspicuous by their absence from the Republican Convention MORE reached a plea deal with prosecutors that included cooperating with Mueller’s probe into possible collusion between the campaign and Russia and obstruction of justice.

Manafort is only the latest witness to cooperate in Mueller's probe. Trump's team reportedly does not know the extent of information he could share with the special counsel.

Manafort was present for the 2016 meeting in Trump Tower between Trump campaign officials and a Kremlin-linked lawyer who promised to provide dirt on Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonDemocratic groups using Bloomberg money to launch M in Spanish language ads in Florida The Hill's Campaign Report: Presidential polls tighten weeks out from Election Day More than 50 Latino faith leaders endorse Biden MORE.

After Dowd’s departure in March, Trump’s legal team has undergone an almost complete overhaul and has adopted a more offensive strategy to head off the Mueller investigation under Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.