March 08, 2018

*-- Former Trump aide backtracks, will comply with grand jury --*

One day after appearing in multiple TV interviews to say he would not comply with a federal subpoena, former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg said Tuesday he would cooperate with the special counsel investigation into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election.

Nunberg, who said Monday he received a subpoena to provide documents and appear in person before a grand jury Friday, appeared to back down from his initial plan not to cooperate.

"I'm going to cooperate with whatever they want," he told CNN in a phone interview Tuesday.

He said he was working to compile the documents and communications the subpoena sought.

"I'm just trying to get this done so I can then get back to try to have a life and work on my job," Nunberg said.

The subpoena sought correspondence and notes he sent to or received from President Donald Trump and several people close to the president.

"Let him arrest me," he told Monday. "Mr. Mueller should understand I am not going in on Friday."

He said he thinks investigators want him to implicate Stone in WikiLeaks' release of Democrats' emails.

In a Facebook post Tuesday, Stone denied any involvement in or knowledge of Russian collusion during the presidential campaign. Stone wrote, however, "I did confirm thru a source that Wikileaks really had Material on Hillary and would publish it after Assange said so in an interview."

Nunberg told MSNBC the investigation was a "witch hunt," though he thinks Trump "may have done something during the election. But I don't know that for sure."

"The Russians and Trump did not collude," he added. "Putin is too smart to collude with Donald Trump."

Late Monday, he told NBC News he probably would comply with the grand jury in the end.

"I just don't want to make it easy," he said. "I don't think it's fair to ask for my personal communications."