President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he "would love to" be questioned under oath by Russia collusion prosecutor Robert Mueller, adding it could happen in the coming weeks.
Mr Trump confirmed his lawyers were in discussion with Mr Mueller, who is leading the investigation into allegations of collusion between the US president's campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, and also into accusations that Mr Trump tried to obstruct his probe.
"I would love to do it," Mr Trump told reporters in the White House when asked about testifying.
"I would like to do it as soon as possible ... subject to my lawyers and all of that."
"I would do it under oath, absolutely," he added.
Asked when an interview could happen, Mr Trump replied that he didn't know exactly.
"Yesterday, they were talking about two or three weeks," he said.
It was the first time Mr Trump said directly that he would co-operate with Mr Mueller, whose investigation he has repeatedly dismissed as being based on "fake news".
"There has been no collusion whatsoever. There is no obstruction whatsoever," he said on Wednesday.
But any interview of a US president in an investigation is fraught with issues of executive privilege – how much and in what context the US leader can be forced to disclose information.
In Mr Trump's case, it also raises deep concerns that his shoot-from-the-hip outspokenness could jeopardise his own legal position.
White House lawyer Ty Cobb later seemed to walk back Mr Trump's remarks, saying the president just meant that he was willing to meet, The New York Times reported.
"He's ready to meet with them, but he'll be guided by the advice of his personal counsel," the newspaper quoted Mr Cobb as saying.
Mr Cobb has repeatedly said that the president is willing to testify to Mr Mueller's investigation, and wants Mr Mueller to wind up the case as early as possible.
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Read more:
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A year on from Trump's inauguration, some questions remain
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Mr Mueller is believed to be focusing on whether Mr Trump illegally interfered with the Russia investigation, particularly when he fired FBI director James Comey last year.
Mr Mueller, himself a former FBI director, is also examining the extent of communications between Russians and Trump campaign officials.
Those include a meeting in June 2016 between Mr Trump's son Donald Trump Jr, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and a Russian lawyer who had allegedly offered them information on Mr Trump's election rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton.
He has already issued indictments for four people from the campaign, securing guilty pleas from two: former national security advisor Michael Flynn and former foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos, both for making false statements.
Mr Mueller's investigators have been edging steadily closer to the White House, last week interviewing Attorney General Jeff Sessions – who was a top Trump campaign official and had three meetings in 2016 with Russia's US ambassador, Sergei Kislyak.
He has interviewed Mr Comey and other former officials, and is reportedly going to interview former White House strategist Steve Bannon in the coming days.
The form of a Mr Mueller interview with the president still needs to be negotiated – whether it is face-to-face, or in writing, or a mix.
Mr Trump told reporters Wednesday he would listen to his lawyers' advice on how to proceed. Asked if he thought Mr Mueller would be fair, he replied: "We are going to find out ... I hope so."
But the case might not be cleared easily. Mr Trump's repeated tweets attacking Mr Comey and the FBI have added to suspicions that he has sought to stymie the Mueller investigation.
On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that Mr Trump had pressed Mr Comey's temporary replacement, FBI deputy director and Comey loyalist Andrew McCabe, to tell him who he voted for in the 2016 election.
Since then, Mr Trump has pressured the current FBI chief, Christopher Wray, to fire Mr McCabe.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders dismissed on Wednesday the report on the Trump-McCabe exchange by saying she doubts "any person in America" cares about it.
That sparked a mass rebuttal on Twitter by Trump critics declaring they do care, using the hashtag #onewhodoes.
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli
Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Jurassic%20Park
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
