Trump refuses to reveal answers to Mueller questions, while president launches 6am Twitter spree

'I think that would be very inappropriate,' lawyer Jay Sekulow says

Donald Trump’s lawyer has said it would be “very inappropriate” for the president’s written answers to Robert Mueller to be made public.

Jay Sekulow, a member of Mr Trump’s legal team, told CNN on Monday his client’s communications with the special counsel are confidential, and that they should continue to remain so, despite the president being cleared of conspiring with Russia.

“It’s not as simple as just wave your hand and we release the document. I think that would be very inappropriate,” he told host Alisyn Camerota, who asked if Mr Trump would be willing to make public the written answers.

“If I was representing you in a case and we came to a voluntary determination to submit answers in writing, and then you were exonerated, I don’t think that would be material that would be relevant to the general public.”

However, Mr Trump was explicitly not exonerated by the as-yet-unreleased report. Though Mr Trump was cleared of colluding with Moscow, Mr Mueller failed to rule on whether the president obstructed justice, according to the president’s newly installed attorney general William Barr.

In a letter sent to Congress, Mr Barr said that while Mr Mueller’s report “does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it does not exonerate him”.

Mr Sekulow said whether Mr Trump’s answers would be released is a question for the attorney general, but that he “has some strong opinions” about whether he should do.

Susan Hennessey, a national security expert at the Brookings Institution, said the comment was a "big tell" about "how afraid" the White House is of the contents of Mr Mueller's report.

Mr Trump gloated on Monday morning over the findings, quoting from Fox News anchor Bret Baier, who said Mr Mueller’s conclusions represented a “good day” for America.

The president also quoted a passage from Mr Barr’s letter clearing him of collusion, before tweeting an apparent headline by MSNBC, a television network Mr Trump perceives to be an enemy.

“Breaking News: Mueller Report Finds No Trump-Russia Conspiracy,” he wrote.

He later retweeted one of his own posts from Sunday, which simply read: "Good Morning, Have A Great Day!”