Everybody I'm Devin Dwyer live at ABC news headquarters in New York good Wednesday afternoon to you I'm here with an ABC news exclusive. As special counsel Robert Mueller closes in on the president. Lists of questions threats of subpoenas. ABC news has done an exclusive interview with White House lawyer Ty Cobb and I want to bring in. Our our crack team of White House correspondent Jonathan Karl political director reclined the powerhouse politics podcast crew. Say that three times fast you guys just talked to Ty Cobb give us the headlines. Well first also extremely unusual interview Ty cobb's the White House lawyer who deals with the special counsel us such you hardly ever see him. Giving on the record interviews so we had a chance we spent about DeVon twenty plus minutes speaking Jim a wide ranging conversation about all of the that the pressing issues facing the White House as it negotiates with the special counsel's office. But it to me one of the real headlines here is they'd is the question of whether the president will sit down for an interview with Robert Mueller and despite. The tone of the tweets coming from the president despite the report's of of serious tension between the president's legal team and that the special counsel's office he said in an interview with the president and Robert Moeller is still very much on the today. And DeVon I'd add to that that it did the very time it is interviews going on president's office tweeting about rob rose and sign and suggests yes mr. Mueller is biased we read one of the tweets on married in this in this interview as it's going on. And the Tony yet from. Ty Cobb entirely different than you get from the present it seems like Ty Cobb at least that part of the legal team. Is still working toward an accommodation with -- he was speaking glowingly about Rosen Stein and about Robert Mueller same time the president of talking about you know maybe having to use a presidential powers to end this thing. Because when asked about that interview so he's he's leaving it on the table but there was this report as you know. Overnight about threatened to subpoena if the president doesn't agree to the interview what does he say about how the White House respond to a subpoena. If it will Li said that there. Still very much negotiating and hope to avoid a subpoena. As to how they would respond to us that the subpoena he didn't say definitively whether or not it would be fought but we asked him directly in his view. Does he believe that the president can be compelled to testify with a subpoena this is. Something that many people feel all clearly the president would have too and they point to the the example of the Watergate tapes. Where the special counsel that case subpoenaed to get access to those tapes the White House resisted it went to the Supreme Court nine to zero. The Supreme Court ruled. That that the White House had to turn over the tapes. In this case though our cops is very much an open question whether or not the president can be compelled to testify before a grand jury. Suggesting suggesting not. Threatening but suggesting that the white house with quite a subpoena. Hardy also weighed in I know you guys asked him about the possibility of pardons whether those are on the table the White House I think. We have a piece of tape from that they queued up let's Nicholas. Kenny president of the United States pardon. Himself. You know that's a question that also has never been decides. There are experts. You know on both sides and I can assure you that him pardons have not been part of lexicon here and mine have. It in my in my time. And that in their neither. I had no discussion of pardons and all anything in your current job at the White House. While I'm and I. I learned about Scooter Libby pardon and that consideration of the Jack Johnson Barton but. It out not nothing nothing all related. A Russian immense. You've heard nothing of considered no consideration whatsoever pardoning Michael Cohen Michael Flynn. And out and an earlier when he. Sounds pretty got an answer. That's it there's this as strong as you can be and he would be the guy that knows about about all of that and and DeVon I think is interesting because when the president is talking about what kind of powers the president could have that obviously is one of the powers that he wheels on this is that the power to it's a fire front rows and sign a navy at least indirectly. A Robert Mueller and he does have that pardon power looming over everything. Catherine one counterpoint please. I do remember the present and not long ago impose steel steel tariffs to remember that I I do yeah I remember him saying you didn't pose them well while you would break before he said he was going to impose them there was. Individual by the name of minutia and who have leaves the Treasury Secretary in another one the name of Gary Cohn both of them. Within an hour and a half of the announcement that the tariffs would be imposed. Told and told reporters that there would be no. I'll go until I'm to say to say that ailment it is true that he said he's heard no consideration. Pardons for those individuals would just takes one person. To make a decision like that we've seen him meet with the boss. And he's been tweeted about the possibility of even more pardons that perhaps there's a little bit of a signal there are last you guys about the other sock around. All of this potential inner -- questions the 49 questions that. Have come out now that we noted that from lawyers wrote down based in the conversations with Bob Mahler. Who leaked these to the press the president is pretty upset about the leak. You put it to Ty Cobb was at him. He says he knows who it is and and he says it is it Robert Mueller that he was fascinating because the president. Very much of the suggesting that was smaller someone in Muller's orbit high cots and he he he is certain on it that it's not he's he's he's got a point any fingers but any kind appoint a little bit of a finger at people that are in the off on the legal team were formally on the legal team he said some just wanna create chaos around under the around the the whole situation others may want to discourage the president from from participating cities acknowledging to my mind easing knowledge in that came from their side not the other side. Absolutely and he was emphatic did it did not come. From Robert Mueller and the clear implication of the president's suite that's an outrage. Thinks these leaks. Well didn't come from Lawler. We wanted to cite the comparable. Excellent I'm going to be a mystery we'll figure we'll we'll watch that one it's fun. You guys a lot of great stuff in the podcast its powerhouse politics you can find it anywhere you get your favorite pot podcasts on Apple's Spotify tune in. Stitch it you can find at ABC news app is a great place to listen to it. Thanks to Rick and John for joining us you can to check that out now it's up live on all ABC news digital platforms for now I'm Devin Dwyer in New York. Thanks watch.