WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani said Sunday the president may be open to an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller even if it involves some questions about alleged obstruction of justice in the federal investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 election.
Giuliani said negotiations continue with Mueller’s office regarding the conditions for an interview, which Trump’s legal team spelled out in a proposal this month.
Giuliani said Trump’s team wants an interview basically limited to questions involving alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, arguing that no “legal basis” exists for Trump to be questioned about obstruction. But Giuliani also told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Trump might be willing to address obstruction in some form.
“There is a sort of area of questioning and a group of restrictions on it that we could live with, I think,” Giuliani said. “We have an outstanding offer to them. They haven’t responded in about a week to 10 days. I don’t hold that against them.”
Giuliani said Trump could make a decision this week or next on whether to sit for an interview.
Trump has repeatedly insisted that he’s willing to be interviewed by Mueller’s team. But Giuliani has said Trump’s legal team is less enthusiastic because Mueller and his staff might seek to believe witnesses who contradict Trump’s account, such as former FBI Director James Comey.
Trump has given varying reasons for firing Comey in May 2017.
“We don’t see the legal basis for a president obstructing by merely taking an action in firing somebody that he had every right to fire. And about 10 good reasons to fire. So we don’t just acknowledge though the basis for that,” Giuliani said. “But, you know, we might consider a few questions in that area also.”
Well, I have my own prediction, which is that some bright shining day people will wake up and realize Giuliani is a kind of organ-grinder’s monkey who isn’t meant to be taken seriously as “the president’s lawyer” or in any other way. He’s there to divert you for a moment with his antics.
“There is a sort of area of questioning and a group of restrictions on it that we could live with, I think,” Giuliani said. “We have an outstanding offer to them. They haven’t responded in about a week to 10 days. I don’t hold that against them.”
If the offer is worded and laid out anything like Trump’s tweets or Rudy’s ramblings, no one will ever be able to make sense of it.
I’m sure the subpoena has been drafted; Emmett Flood has done his work to prepare to fight it, or talk Trump into what kind of deal he can realistically make to do an interview and avoid the subpoena. Trump may or may not take the advice, depending on about 20 things other than rational thought and consideration. And Trump will go on a tweet-storm no matter what happens - either criticizing Mueller or congratulating himself for whatever ends up happening.
Rudolph, l’effettuazione scimmia sfacciata
He doesn’t meet with his “client” - yet he claims some mysterious authority.
He doesn’t meet with Robert Mueller, yet he walks right up to and slobbers all over the notion that they’ve met in parlay, in which lines were drawn and offers made.
And practically every big media news organization reports his confabulations as “news”, indistinguishable from things that actually happened in any ways remotely as he imp lies.
The ONLY way Trump will be interviewed by the Special Counsel is in response to a subpoena. As screwed up as Trump is, he REALLY fears Mueller. Even Trumps ego cowers at the mention of his name.
This, of course, is the problem with the article. Giuliani cannot even mange stopped-watch accuracy. In a way, they have already made their decision — they don’t want Trump anywhere near Mueller. The problem is trying to sell that idea without just looking like cowards who are hiding something. (That is particularly difficult since they are in fact cowards who are indeed hiding something.)