© 2026 ABC News

Echoing Trump, Giuliani accused the special counsel of the leak of the letter, saying that Mueller should have put out a statement condemning it and that he should investigate his team. However, there's no evidence that the letter leaked to the New York Times came from members of the special counsel.

Trump's lawyers also acknowledge for the first time his involvement in dictating that infamous statement about the Trump Tower meeting in 2016, where Trump campaign officials, including his son and son-in-law met with a Russian lawyer who was offering negative information on Hillary Clinton.

\"You have received all of the notes communications and testimony indicating that the President dictated a short but accurate response to the New York Times article on behalf of his son, Donald Trump, Jr.\"

The letter also argues that there is no need for the president to sit for an interview, as the lawyers assert the special counsel has all the information he could possibly need.

\"PHOTO:
Patrick Semansky/AP
PHOTO: President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the U.S. Naval Academy's graduation and commissioning ceremony on May 25, 2018, in Annapolis, Md.
>

\"The records and testimony we have, pursuant to the President's directive, already voluntarily provided to your office allow you to delve into the conversations and actions that occurred in a significant and exhaustive manner, including but not limited to the testimony of the President's interlocutors themselves,\" the letter says. \"In light of these voluntary offerings, your office clearly lacks the requisite need to personally interview the President.\"

Trump's lawyers say that the investigation has interfered with the president's \"ability to both govern domestically and conduct foreign affairs,\" adding \"This encumbrance has been only compounded by the astounding public revelations about the corruption within the FBI and Department of Justice which appears to have let to the alleged Russia collusion investigation and the establishment of the Office of Special Counsel in the first place.\"

John Cohen, an ABC News contributor and former acting undersecretary for intelligence at the Department of Homeland Security, called the letter \"highly unusual.\" Cohen stepped down from his homeland security post in 2014.

\"It is highly unusual and extraordinarily unsettling that the lawyer(s) representing the president of the United States would send an official memorandum to a special counsel of DOJ alleging that leadership of the FBI and DOJ is/was corrupt,\" Cohen told ABC News. \"This type of communique has only one purpose and that is to undermine the credibility of those investigating Russia's efforts to engage in an ongoing attack against the U.S. While it may advance the president's political and legal strategy, I fear that it plays into Russia's efforts, which seek to weaken America by undermining the credibility of our national security and law enforcement institutions.\"

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/giuliani-threatens-legal-battle-mueller-subpoena/story?id=55610183","legacySlug":"/news/story/giuliani-threatens-legal-battle-mueller-subpoena-55610183","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"00:21","publishDate":"06-03-2018","updatedTime":"13:22","updatedDate":"06-03-2018","socialImage":{"alt":"Rudy Giuliani speaks at the conference on Iran on May 5, 2018, in Washington, D.C.","credit":"Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/rudy-giuliani-gty-ml-180515_hpMain_2_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"6/3/2018 00:21:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":55610183,"headline":"Giuliani threatens legal battle with Mueller","mediaAssetTitle":"TRUMP LETTER","description":"\"If Mueller tries to subpoena us, we're going to court.\" ","duration":"2:48","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/06/180602_wn_palmeri_637_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132488083","132306053","132266872"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 29, 2026","headline":"Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","section":"News","slug":"/video/132488083","id":"132488083","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Giuliani threatens legal battle with Mueller","description":"\"If Mueller tries to subpoena us, we're going to court.\" ","duration":"2:48","uploadDate":"06-03-2018","publication":"06-03-2018","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/06/180602_wn_palmeri_637_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/06/180602_wn_palmeri_637_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/giuliani-threatens-legal-battle-mueller-subpoena-55610183"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132748964","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132636882","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132747869","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132738086","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132714218","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132701634","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132706335","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132675442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132665875","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132628890","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132569874","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132567885","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132510121","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132473181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132497933","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Giuliani threatens legal battle with Mueller","pubTime":"20:21","pubDate":"06-02-2018","modTime":"09:22","modDate":"06-03-2018","taxonomyTags":"none","id":55610183,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Giuliani threatens legal battle with Mueller","mediaAssetTitle":"TRUMP LETTER","videoId":55610183,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/giuliani-threatens-legal-battle-mueller-subpoena-55610183"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/55610183","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/55610183","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};