The Donald Trump-Russia scandal: Mueller begins interviewing White House staff

The United States team of special counsel Robert Mueller has started interviewing White House officials as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the ties between President Donald Trump campaign associates and Russia.

Indicating that the investigation is speeding up, Mueller has contacted and taken evidence from a number of figures named in the dossier. Christopher Steele, the former MI6 officer is at the centre of a storm over his explosive and contentious dossier on Donald Trump.

Three ongoing inquiries into President Trump - by former FBI director Mueller, the Senate Intelligence Committee, the House Intelligence Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee are at loggerheads on asking Steele to testify.

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, the chief of staff for the National Security Council was interviewed on Thursday. Kellogg was shown information and asked questions related to President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the Hill reported.

President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn, first declined to comply with a Senate subpoena in May, asserting his Fifth Amendment rights.

Flynn resigned in February after reports he misled senior members of the White House about his contacts with Russian officials. Mueller has asked for documents concerning Flynn and a Justice Department warning about Flynn's ties to a Russian diplomat.

The congressional investigators are looking at a Trump campaign meeting in March 2016 about national security that took place at the site of what is now Trump's hotel in Washington, D.C.

Senators raised concerns that it would violate the Logan Act, which prohibits Americans from engaging with a foreign government without authorization from U.S. officials.

Prosecutors from Mueller's team reportedly told former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort to expect an indictment when they raided his home with FBI agents in July.

Former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey had told Congress that President Trump has asked him if there was a way to let Flynn go during the meeting, according to testimony from Comey over the summer.

As a result, Mueller is reportedly examining whether Trump obstructed justice in his interactions with Comey.

-ANI