'Over my dead body': Giuliani rules out Mueller interview of Trump
The special counsel is known to be keen to interview the US president but Donald Trump's lawyer says this will not happen.
Sunday 16 December 2018 16:49, UK
Rudy Giuliani has ruled out the possibility of US President Donald Trump being interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Mr Giuliani, who acts as Mr Trump's lawyer, told Fox News that any interview would only happen "over my dead body".
He added: "But, you know, I could be dead."
Mr Mueller, a former FBI director, is investigating alleged ties between the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
He is reportedly interested in interviewing the president as part of the inquiry.
Mr Trump last month submitted written answers to questions from the special counsel's team about possible collusion.
But he has not done an interview in person and the White House has refused to answer any questions about possible obstruction of justice.
Mr Giuliani also criticised the investigation on Sunday, calling the special counsel's office a "joke".
He accused investigators of trapping the president's former security adviser Michael Flynn.
He said: "I am disgusted with the tactics they have used in this case.
"What they did to General Flynn should result in discipline."
Flynn - who became national security adviser to Mr Trump after helping him win the 2016 presidential election - began co-operating with Mr Mueller's inquiry after quitting the White House last year.
He pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI over interactions with ex-Russian US ambassador Sergey Kislyak in January 2017.
According to court papers, the evidence he has since provided during 19 interviews with prosecutors is "substantial".
As part of Flynn's plea deal, he said senior Trump figures - including son-in-law Jared Kushner - were involved in and sometimes directed his actions in the weeks before his old boss took office.
Flynn will be sentenced this week.
Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked the inquiry and there were fears that his sacking of attorney general Jeff Sessions after the mid-term elections would lead to an attempt to bring it to an end.