Investigators ask White House for details on FBI director firing, Flynn ouster

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The special counsel investigating Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election has asked the White House for documents on a range of subjects including President Donald Trump’s firing of the FBI director and his son’s meeting with a Russian lawyer, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

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The Times reported that special counsel Robert Mueller’s office had sent the White House a document outlining 13 areas of interest about which investigators were seeking additional documentation.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, declined a request by Reuters to comment on the matter. Ty Cobb, the White House lawyer handling requests from Mueller’s office, told Reuters, “Out of respect for the special counsel and its process, the White House does not comment on exchanges between the special counsel and the White House.”

“The White House remains committed to cooperate fully with the special counsel,” Cobb said.

The subjects in the request by Mueller’s office included the ouster of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and the firing of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey, the Times reported.

According to the report, the special counsel has also asked for documents on how the White House responded to questions about a June 2016 meeting involving Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and a Russian lawyer who had offered to provide damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The 2016 meeting was also attended by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his former campaign manager Paul Manafort.

Mueller’s investigation and two congressional panels are looking into conclusions by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia worked to tilt last November’s election in Republican Trump’s favor. Moscow has repeatedly denied any meddling in the election and Trump has denied any collusion by his campaign.

(Reporting by David Alexander and Karen Freifeld; Editing by Caren Bohan, Toni Reinhold)