Presidential Subpoena: Could the President Be Headed to a Grand Jury?

WASHINGTON – Special counsel Robert Mueller threatened to subpoena President Donald Trump to appear before a grand jury if he refuses to sit down for an interview, according to The Washington Post.

The Post reports the president's lead lawyer at the time, John Dowd, responded by saying, "This isn't some game. You are screwing with the work of the president of the United States."

The Post story came on the heels of a New York Times report that lists 49 questions the Mueller team has for the president.

The 49 questions could really only be starting points for more queries, which could lead to a very long interview by Mueller's team with the president over a couple of days – if that interview ever happens.

There are still some questions as to the legality of a presidential subpoena. 

One of the topics on the list: collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The president has repeatedly denied there was any collusion and he doubled down on Twitter Tuesday. 

So disgraceful that the questions concerning the Russian Witch Hunt were “leaked” to the media. No questions on Collusion. Oh, I see...you have a made up, phony crime, Collusion, that never existed, and an investigation begun with illegally leaked classified information. Nice!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2018

 Several topics also center on whether the president is guilty of obstruction of justice, including questions regarding the president's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey like When was it made? Why? Who played a role?
 

And there are questions regarding that 2017 interview with NBC's Lester Holt. Specifically, investigators wanted to know, "What did you mean in your interview with Lester Holt about Mr. Comey and Russia?"

Trump told Holt at the time, "I was going to fire Comey knowing there was no good time to do it. And in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself — I said, 'You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story." 

Meanwhile, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, says obstruction of justice is something the White House should be concerned about. 

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders retorted, "We here at the White House try not to be concerned with anything dealing with Adam Schiff."  
 
Sanders also responded to critics who question the legitimacy of the Trump presidency, saying, "I think the fact that millions of Americans came out and for and continue to support this presidency makes him pretty legitimate."
 
Meanwhile, the Mueller team has agreed to delay sentencing for former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, a sign the investigation is far from over.