Rudy Giuliani on Monday also refused to clarify the conflicts of interest the president has accused Mueller of hiding, insisting that it is Mueller’s responsibility to clarify Trump’s accusation. | Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Giuliani accuses special counsel's office of acting in 'bad faith' over Trump-Mueller interview

President Donald Trump’s attorney on Monday accused special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of acting in “bad faith” in setting up an interview with the president over its investigation into collusion and conflict of interest.

Rudy Giuliani told CNN that the president’s legal team has waited 10 days for a response from Mueller’s office on negotiations over what can be asked during the interview, saying that the president would only answer questions about allegations of collusion between his campaign and the Russian government and not about questions related allegations of obstruction of justice.


“They haven't gotten back to us in 10 days over our recommendation of how to do an interview. I am sure they are in bad faith about an interview at that point,” said Giuliani, who heads the president’s outside legal team.

The former New York mayor said he would advise against allowing such an interview but that the president was eager to tell his side of the story.

The special counsel’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

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Giuliani on Monday also refused to clarify the conflicts of interest the president has accused Mueller of hiding, insisting that it is Mueller’s responsibility to clarify Trump’s accusation.

“He has the conflict, not the president,” said Giuliani, who heads the president’s outside legal team, told CNN Monday morning.

“It's up to the president to describe it in further detail if he elects to do so. Or if Mueller would like to come out and explain why it's not a conflict, I invite Bob to do it,” Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, added later.

In a post to his Twitter account over the weekend, Trump alleged that he and Mueller had a “very nasty & contentious business relationship” that constituted a conflict of interest for the special counsel, whose team is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and allegations that the president’s campaign colluded with those efforts. Trump has loudly denied such allegations.

The conflict is believed to be centered on disputed fees at a Trump golf course in Virginia, though Giuliani wouldn’t confirm that to CNN when asked Monday.

The president has also suggested that his decision not to hire Mueller to replace fired FBI director James Comey, as well as Mueller’s friendship with Comey, also constitute conflicts of interest for the special counsel.

Asked Monday for specifics about Trump’s allegation, Giuliani said “I’m not sure I know exactly what the conflict is” but quickly added that “I have a good idea of what it is.” Without offering further detail, Giuliani said the conflict was one that, if it were his, would have kept him from involving himself in the investigation.

“He's referring to a dispute which I imagine Mueller — I imagine he disclosed it to Rosenstein when he appointed him because it would involve something that actually wasn't settled even to this day,” the president’s attorney said. “But that's up to the president and Mueller to describe. It’s not part of my legal representation.”

