1st Meeting of Trump Lawyers and Mueller Investigator over Trump Interview; Trump Shakes Up Legal Team
BALDWIN: Just in, an official from Cambridge Analytica, now speaking out against the company, has agreed to give an interview and documents to the House Intelligence Committee Democrats. He claims the data firm, linked to the Trump campaign, received access to 50 million user's accounts in a breach of Facebook, who says it will brief lawmakers this week as serious questions surface on its role in privacy rules. A sideshow is forming in Russia's election meddling. Turmoil between President Trump and his legal team. Ted Olson, a high-profile Washington attorney, was being lured to join this roster, but turned down the role. This is just 24 hours after a deep-state conspiracy lawyer joined the team. This, as CNN, learned an interview between the president and Special Counsel Robert Mueller could be scheduled within weeks. Sources say White House lawyers met with Mueller's team to discuss what Mueller wants to know from the president. And "The Washington Post" is reporting the president's lawyers handed over documents on key events to try to limit the scope of that interview. So, Michael Zeldin is with me, CNN legal analyst, and worked as Bob Mueller's special assistant at the DOJ. Michael Zeldin, what do we know about the Mueller people and the Trump legal team?</s>MICHAEL ZELDIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Right. So, Brooke, overarchingly, what Mueller wants to inquiry is, what did the president know, when did he know it, and what did he do with that knowledge? So that overarches the whole thing. Specifically, then, we've learned in the latest meetings that he has inquired of Sessions and Comey. Comey makes, cleared the Oval Office and then asked him to let the Flynn investigation go and then the repeated violations of Washington, White House, DOJ, communications policies. So, if you think of that, that is sort of obstruction. The Kislyak chats concern Michael Flynn and allegations he may have engaged in a couple of things. One is coordination with the Russians, quid pro quo. We'll help you, you'll get rid of sanctions and/or, too, you'll help us and we -- before we get there, we'll set policy that will be favorable to you, specifically as it relates to a number of issues that Russia had an interest in, oil and gas and other such matters. Think of this as coordination/collusion. Think of Comey and Sessions as obstruction. That's what the newest reporting is, that the White House is going to be asked of by Comey.</s>BALDWIN: Actually, can I jump in and ask you, as a result of what they're learning, you know, that team Mueller once asked Trump about, he has added this new lawyer, this guy who has been peddling on that other cable network, conspiracy theories about the DOJ, FBI, wanting to retain Trump. You actually worked with Joe DiGenova.</s>ZELDIN: Yes. He was independent counsel and I was the deputy counsel. We put together our final report and Joe was very tough with respect to the way he wanted to proceed with this investigation, to make sure that we got all that you wanted to get from Herbert Walker Bush. Joe has been the United States attorney in the District of Columbia and is a well regarded and a seasoned lawyer with respect to these types of investigations. You'll remember, Brooke, during the Watergate -- sorry. During the Whitewater investigation, he was an outspoken critic of the Clintons and a proponent of Ken Starr being able to have full reign with the Clintons and getting a chance to interview them under oath. It will be interesting to see whether or not Joe keeps the same tough on President Bush, tough on President Clinton, and how he responds to the tough on Trump. We'll see.</s>BALDWIN: Michael Zeldin, thank you so much. We'll come back to DiGenova and something he wrote back in the "Wall Street Journal" back in '97. It might come back to bite him today. Meantime, we talk Texas and this manhunt for a serial bomber after another package exploded. This one happening overnight at his FedEx facility. Could be connected to the other explosions in Austin. We'll talk to an FBI profiler about what the feds will be looking for to solve the case.