Ken Starr said Monday he thinks it is "probable" that special counsel Robert Mueller
Robert Swan MuellerSasse: US should applaud choice of Mueller to lead Russia probe MORE will interview President Trump
Donald John TrumpHouse Democrat slams Donald Trump Jr. for ‘serious case of amnesia’ after testimony Skier Lindsey Vonn: I don’t want to represent Trump at Olympics Poll: 4 in 10 Republicans think senior Trump advisers had improper dealings with Russia MORE in the Russia probe.
"He needs to, in order to round out, complete his investigation, to come to a decision," Starr, the former independent counsel in the Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky scandals during Bill Clinton’s presidency, said during an interview on CNN's "New Day."
"He needs to look the president in the eye and ask the appropriate questions."
Starr was pressed on whether a face-to-face with the president is legal and appropriate.
"It's certainly legal and it is appropriate," Starr said.
He added that the meeting would likely be "negotiated," saying: "The last thing that we would want would be for the president to actually be subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury."
"The office of the presidency demands our respect and deserves our respect and so the right way to do it is through counsel to negotiate — here are the terms of the interview," he said.
Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow.
According to a report published Monday, Trump's legal team is talking about possible formats in the case that Mueller asks to interview Trump in the Russia probe.
Three people familiar with the matter told NBC News that lawyers for the president had spoken with FBI investigators about a potential interview.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed the Russia probe as a witch hunt and has denied collusion.
Starr has in the past offered praise for Mueller's investigation. In October, he called Mueller's handling of the investigation aggressive and professional.