If special counsel Robert Mueller tries to question President Donald Trump with a grand jury subpoena, the only way for Trump to decline appears to be the Fifth Amendment, NBC News reported.
No president has ever fought a request to cooperate in a criminal investigation potentially involving his own conduct, so the Supreme Court hasn't addressed it directly.
But in two other cases — when the Watergate prosecutor sought Richard Nixon's tapes and when Bill Clinton was sued by Paula Jones — the court has indicated there's no authority to decline.
Two former White House counsels, who served Republican and Democratic presidents, told NBC News on the condition that they not be identified that Trump would have no legal grounds to reject a subpoena for his testimony outside the Fifth Amendment, which protects against self-incrimination.
