Ex-New York Mayor joins Trump's legal team

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will join President Donald Trump's legal team, which is also acquiring two other new members, his attorney, Jay Sekulow said.

Sekulow, who along with attorney Ty Cobb is representing Trump in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, made the announcement after Giuliani confirmed the decision to The Washington Post.

Giuliani, who said he had made the decision last week at Trump's Mar-a-lago resort in South Florida, joins the legal team that had been reduced to a bare minimum at a key time in the probe, given that Mueller wants to question the president in the very near future, Efe news reported.

According to Sekulow's statement, Trump emphasised the long friendship between him and the Republican ex-mayor, saying "Rudy is great. He has been my friend for a long time and wants to get this matter quickly resolved for the good of the country."

"It is an honour to be a part of such an important legal team, and I look forward to not only working with the President but with Jay, Ty and their colleagues," Giuliani said in a statement.

Sekulow also announced that Jane Serene Raskin and Marty Raskin, whom he described as very respected former federal prosecutors with decades of experience, will also be joining Trump's legal team.

Giuliani's law firm, Greenberg Traurig, said on Thursday that the former mayor will be taking a "leave of absence ... for an unspecified period of time to handle matters unrelated to the law firm or its clients.

Giuliani told the Post that on Thursday he spoke with Trump and Sekulow about the strategy the legal team will pursue, although he said it was too early to say whether the president would agree to be interviewed by Mueller.

The ex-mayor said that his advice regarding Mueller to Trump had been to let the special counsel do his job.

The additions to Trump's legal team come after the March resignation of John Dowd, who had been the president's main lawyer on issues relating to the Russia probe.