President Donald Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly, answered questions from special counsel Robert Mueller's team of investigators as part of a probe into potential obstruction of justice by Trump, according to new reports.
A person familiar with the situation told NBC News that Kelly was asked by Mueller's team about a coversation he witnessed between Trump and then-White House Counsel Don McGahn.
The president allegedly asked McGahn to refute a New York Times article in March that reported McGahn had been ordered to fired Mueller.
CNN first reported Friday that Kelly, who reportedly is on the verge of leaving the White House, answered a "narrow set of questions" from Mueller's investigators. A source who spoke with NBC News confirmed that description of the scope of the questions.
That sit-down came after White House lawyers first objected to Kelly being interviewed.
CNN reported: "The Mueller questions to Kelly centered on a narrow set of issues in the investigation of potential obstruction of justice, chiefly Kelly's recollection of an episode that took place after new reporting emerged about how the President had tried to fire Mueller."
"The President was angry at then-White House counsel Don McGahn about what had been reported by The New York Times. McGahn had refused to publicly deny the reporting. The special counsel wanted to try to corroborate McGahn's version of events," CNN reported.
The article came hours after Trump unleashed a scathing series of tweets about Mueller's investigation, and after new reports that Kelly could soon leave as chief of staff.
Mueller is expected to file a sentencing memo later Friday for Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who has admitted to lying to Congress about the extent of the president's involvement in an aborted deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.
Cohen, who is cooperating with Mueller, is also due to be sentenced next week on other criminal charges, including ones related to hush money payments to woman who have said they had affairs with Trump. The White House has denied the women's claims.
The special counsel additionally is scheduled Friday to file a document related to former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort, who is accused of lying to Mueller's team after signing a plea agreement to resolve two pending criminal cases against him.