Trump's lawyer says Mueller plans to end probe by Sept.

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyer said special counsel Robert Mueller intends to end, by Sept. 1, his investigation into whether Trump obstructed the Russia investigation, The New York Times reported Sunday.

The special counsel shared his timeline for the investigation several weeks ago during negotiations over a potential interview with the president, Rudy Giuliani told The New York Times in an interview.

The former New York mayor said that Trump was willing to be interviewed, but noted that it would be a distraction for the president and could not happen until after the planned meeting with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. ' He said Trump would likely be questioned around Independence Day, which falls on July 4, according to The New York Times.

Giuliani told The Washington Post later on Sunday that Mueller said he could wrap up the probe by September if Trump agreed to sit down for an interview with investigators.

Analysts said that ending the probe would not mean the end of Mueller's overall investigation, which reached its one-year mark last week.

Mueller is mandated to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and any potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow, among others.

Mueller's team has not responded to Giuliani's claim.

Trump, who has repeatedly called the Russia probe a "hoax" or a "witch hunt", has ratcheted up pressure on it in the past months, amid a reshuffling of his legal team.

Russia has denied interference in the U.S. election campaign. Enditem