Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump's attorneys are trying to sway him against agreeing to an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller partially out of concern he might incriminate himself through false statements and could be charged with lying to investigators, The New York Times reported Monday evening. 
 
 The report follows on CNN's reporting last week that Trump's attorneys are arguing that Mueller's team has not met the "high threshold" it needs to have Trump in a face-to-face interview. 
 
 The Times, citing four people briefed with the matter, said Trump's attorneys want the President to refuse an extensive interview with Mueller's team and that lawyers and aides believe once refused, Mueller may not be willing to subpoena Trump in an attempt to compel a presidential interview. 
 
 Trump said last month that he wanted to speak with Mueller and would be willing to do so under oath. 
 
 "I am looking forward to it, actually," Trump told reporters. "Here is the story: There has been no collusion whatsoever. There is no obstruction whatsoever. And I am looking forward to it." 
 
 Read More ||||| WASHINGTON — Lawyers for President Trump have advised him against sitting down for a wide-ranging interview with the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, according to four people briefed on the matter, raising the specter of a monthslong court battle over whether the president must answer questions under oath. 
 
 His lawyers are concerned that the president, who has a history of making false statements and contradicting himself, could be charged with lying to investigators. Their stance puts them at odds with Mr. Trump, who has said publicly and privately that he is eager to speak with Mr. Mueller as part of the investigation into possible ties between his associates and Russia’s election interference, and whether he obstructed justice. 
 
 Mr. Trump’s decision about whether to speak to prosecutors, expected in the coming weeks, will shape one of the most consequential moments of the investigation. Refusing to sit for an interview opens the possibility that Mr. Mueller will subpoena the president to testify before a grand jury, setting up a court fight that would drastically escalate the investigation and could be decided by the Supreme Court. 
 
 Rejecting an interview with Mr. Mueller also carries political consequences. It would be certain to prompt accusations that the president is hiding something, and a court fight could prolong the special counsel inquiry, casting a shadow over Republicans as November’s midterm elections approach or beyond into the president’s re-election campaign.
– President Trump has claimed he would "love to" be interviewed under oath by special counsel Robert Mueller and that he's "looking forward" to it. His lawyers, however, are worried that Trump will make false statements, potentially leading to a charge of lying to investigators, and have urged him to turn down any interview request, the New York Times reports, citing "four people briefed on the matter." Rebuffing the interview might lead to a subpoena and a legal battle that could go all the way to the Supreme Court, but lawyers including John Dowd, who's representing Trump in the investigation, believe Mueller won't be willing to subpoena Trump and force him into a showdown, the insiders say. White House lawyer Ty Cobb supports full cooperation with Mueller's investigation, but he's outnumbered by opponents, the Times' sources say. Newt Gingrich is among those close to Trump who have publicly said that he should reject any request to be questioned. "The idea of putting Trump in a room with five or six hardened, very clever lawyers, all of whom are trying to trick him and trap him, would be a very, very bad idea," Gingrich said on Fox and Friends recently. CNN reports that Trump's team is arguing that Mueller hasn't reached the "high threshold" of evidence he would need to have Trump interviewed. (Trump has to decide whether to release a Democrat-authored memo on the Russia investigation.)