Trump now less likely to sit for Mueller interview - sources

[webfact]

Trump now less likely to sit for Mueller interview - sources

By Karen Freifeld

 

FILE PHOTO: Special Counsel Robert Mueller departs after briefing members of the U.S. Senate on his investigation into potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The prospect of an interview of U.S. President Donald Trump by special counsel Robert Mueller has been derailed by the recent FBI raids on Trump's personal lawyer, according to two people familiar with the matter.

 

Trump's anger over the warrants to search the home and office of lawyer Michael Cohen has made the interview far less likely, one of the people said on Thursday.

 

That outlook somewhat contradicted Trump's Twitter message on Thursday morning that he backed a "cooperative" approach to Mueller's investigation of possible collusion between Moscow and Trump's presidential campaign.

 

"I have agreed with the historically cooperative, disciplined approach that we have engaged in with Robert Mueller," Trump said on Twitter.

 

A third source familiar with the matter said the relationship with Mueller remains strong and constructive discussions are expected to recommence shortly.

 

Russia denies U.S. intelligence agencies' findings that it interfered in the campaign to try to tilt the vote in Trump's favour. Trump has denied any collusion and has repeatedly attacked Mueller's investigation as a politically motivated "witch hunt."

 

Trump's irritation erupted this week after the FBI raids targeting Cohen, which followed a referral by Mueller. Trump's outburst raised concerns among critics and lawmakers, including some in Trump's own Republican Party, that he might try to have Mueller removed.

 

The president denied a New York Times report on Tuesday that he had sought to fire Mueller in December. "If I wanted to fire Robert Mueller in December, as reported by the Failing New York Times, I would have fired him," he said on Twitter early on Thursday.

 

White House lawyers Ty Cobb and Donald McGahn have told Trump that firing Mueller would leave him vulnerable to charges of obstruction of justice, two officials told Reuters on Tuesday. They said Trump must have "good cause" to order the Justice Department official overseeing the Russia probe, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, to oust Mueller.

 

ADVICE FROM FORMER AIDE

 

One of the sources familiar with the matter and another person said on Thursday that Rosenstein is now on shaky ground. The second person said the feeling among both White House and Justice Department officials is that Rosenstein is abdicating authority and not putting constraints on the investigation.

 

Rosenstein was at the White House on Thursday discussing the status of congressional requests, another of the sources said.

 

Steve Bannon, a former senior adviser to Trump, has encouraged White House aides to advise Trump to fire Rosenstein, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified sources. It also said Bannon wanted the White House to stop cooperating with the Mueller investigation and fire Cobb.

 

Cobb, the lawyer in charge of the White House response to the Russia investigation, has stressed cooperation with Mueller. The White House has said it has turned over tens of thousands of pages of documents to the special counsel's team.

 

Trump said in one of his Twitter messages on Thursday that he had full confidence in Cobb.

 

A bipartisan group of senators put forward legislation on Wednesday to protect Mueller and his investigation, which the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider next week.

 

"Anyone advising the President - in public or over the airwaves - to fire Bob Mueller does not have the President or the nation’s best interest at heart. Full stop," Republican Senator Orrin Hatch wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

 

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Additional reporting by Makini Brice and John Walcott; Writing by Tim Ahmann and Karen Freifeld; Editing by Frances Kerry and Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-04-13

[BuriramSam]

Good advice to any American citizen: there is nothing to be gained by talking to law enforcement officials who want to put you in jail.

[bristolboy]

13 minutes ago, BuriramSam said:

Good advice to any American citizen: there is nothing to be gained by talking to law enforcement officials who want to put you in jail.

Donald Trump disagrees with you:

Trump blasts those who take the Fifth, but he used it 97 times on adultery questions

“So there are five of them taking the Fifth Amendment, like you see on the mob, right?” he said at another rally in Iowa, though it was three former Clinton staff members who pleaded the Fifth. “The mob takes the Fifth Amendment. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article105179136.html

[BuriramSam]

1 hour ago, bristolboy said:

Donald Trump disagrees with you:

Trump blasts those who take the Fifth, but he used it 97 times on adultery questions

“So there are five of them taking the Fifth Amendment, like you see on the mob, right?” he said at another rally in Iowa, though it was three former Clinton staff members who pleaded the Fifth. “The mob takes the Fifth Amendment. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article105179136.html

Wow a politician who's a hypocrite. I'm do glad I was sitting down for this one.

[RobFord]

6 hours ago, BuriramSam said:

Good advice to any American citizen: there is nothing to be gained by talking to law enforcement officials who want to put you in jail.

 

From experience?

[otherstuff1957]

Given Trump's relationship with facts and the truth, talking to Mueller would not be a good decision for him.  I do not think that he is capable of telling the truth for more than 30 minutes straight, if that!  If he does talk to the FBI f2f, he will commit perjury, he would be unable to avoid it.

 

I really hope that he doesn't listen to his lawyers and does talk to Mueller!

[Jingthing]

It doesn't matter any more. Mueller is building a strong case on what he's already got, and is likely to get more without bothering to have a farce interview with "trump" where he answers like "do not recollect" / "you can't ask a president that", B.S.  "trump" is cornered, he's obviously guilty of several impeachable offenses, he knows it, and he's planning moves to block Mueller and then we get into uncharted territory ... constitutional crisis / massive street rallies, impossible to say now. 

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, RobFord said:

 

From experience?

Cheap shot.

[Andaman Al]

36 minutes ago, BuriramSam said:

Wow a politician who's a hypocrite. I'm do glad I was sitting down for this one.

And there's one of those Trump supporters that would allow him to "shoot someone on 5th avenue and still support him".

[Srikcir]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The prospect of an interview of U.S. President Donald Trump by special counsel Robert Mueller has been derailed by the recent FBI raids

Probably just as well.

Before the end of April I expect Mueller will bring more indictments to show his progress and seriousness in the investigations to back off pressure against him and Rosenstein. Cohen, Stone and people employed by or formerly associated with Cambridge Analytica are among likely targets. Manafort who faces up to 350 years in sentences is likely to see an even longer term.

By then Trump may have exhausted himself with rage.

[Jingthing]

I see this another way.

I'm convinced Mueller already has the goods on "trump" and "trump" knows it and has always known that he's a criminal. But in his past life he's always been able to protect himself with his money and the sleaziest of lawyers, in the spirit of the notorious Roy Cohn, who was "trump"'s most important mentor of the dark business arts when he was but a young man. 

 

So "trump" is cornered and he knows it.

So he has two basic choices.

Let Mueller proceed without being checked and face his downfall that way.

Or commit probable presidential suicide with firing Mueller / Rosenstein / Sessions. No need for all three. He has advice on how to check Mueller's power if he goes that way. 

Which will he choose? Wait passively for his presidency to be "murdered" (with good cause) or "suicide" with at least some chance of fighting it through.

I would predict the suicide. 

Edited April 13, 2018 by Jingthing

[F4UCorsair]

Ho hum, I go on an enforced vacation, spend a few weeks in Bali, and nothing's changed!!

 

At east the Bintang was cold, and the Maskaan Padang still the best cuisine on the planet.

[Sir Swagman]

From a self interest point of view he would be stupid to talk to a prosecutor. I mean, he is stupid just maybe not so stupid his arrogance would overcome advice he must be getting. With such a track record of lying, he would be toast if in front of an experienced investigator.

I just wish he would ignore advice, lol.

[Expatthailover]

3 hours ago, bristolboy said:

Cheap shot.

But hit a raw nerve it seems .

[Expatthailover]

3 hours ago, Andaman Al said:

And there's one of those Trump supporters that would allow him to "shoot someone on 5th avenue and still support him".

Excellent response

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, Sir Swagman said:

From a self interest point of view he would be stupid to talk to a prosecutor. I mean, he is stupid just maybe not so stupid his arrogance would overcome advice he must be getting. With such a track record of lying, he would be toast if in front of an experienced investigator.

I just wish he would ignore advice, lol.

Yes and no.

At this point I think it's rather obvious that Mueller is going to conclude that "trump" has committed obstruction of justice. He could make that case on the "trump" tweets and t.v. interviews alone but he clearly has much more. IF "trump" has a credible defense against those conclusions, he could explain himself in an interview with Mueller. So it cuts both ways.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

The prospect of an interview of U.S. President Donald Trump by special counsel Robert Mueller has been derailed by the recent FBI raids on Trump's personal lawyer, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Which is what I said might happen, yesterday, on a different thread.

[smotherb]

13 hours ago, BuriramSam said:

Wow a politician who's a hypocrite. I'm do glad I was sitting down for this one.

Oh, Trump a politician? I thought he was in because he was not a politician and that he would clear the swamp. So, now we realize he is one of the power behind politicians; corrupt big business. We took the fox out of the hen house and put a wolf in; good work, what?

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, smotherb said:

Oh, Trump a politician? I thought he was in because he was not a politician and that he would clear the swamp. So, now we realize he is one of the power behind politicians; corrupt big business. We took the fox out of the hen house and put a wolf in; good work, what?

Beyond that, yes all politicians (and people in general) are liars and hypocrites to some normal level. "trump" out trumps them all in that. Saying he lies on steroids is insulting to steroids. 

[jcsmith]

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Remember just a couple months ago when a couple of posters kept insisting that Trump would sit down for the interview? Stand up and raise your hands.

[janclaes47]

Just now, jcsmith said:

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Remember just a couple months ago when a couple of posters kept insisting that Trump would sit down for the interview? Stand up and raise your hands.

Surprise! Surprise! We have a Trump hater who is so blinded by his hate that he can't even comprehend a post.

 

Where does it say that Trump will not sit down?

[FritsSikkink]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Which is what I said might happen, yesterday, on a different thread.

Who cares, then he has to talk under oath in a trial, he is going down anyway.

 

[FritsSikkink]

32 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

Surprise! Surprise! We have a Trump hater who is so blinded by his hate that he can't even comprehend a post.

 

Where does it say that Trump will not sit down?

Doesn't matter he is toast one way or the other, only blind adepts can't see it.

[janclaes47]

2 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Doesn't matter he is toast one way or the other, only blind adepts can't see it.

Of course, according to you and your friends he wouldn't celebrate Halloween 2017 in the white house........Oh wait we are 2018 now.......how are the charges against Trump adding up lately?

[alocacoc]

8 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Who cares, then he has to talk under oath in a trial, he is going down anyway.

 

And this is because of?

[FritsSikkink]

6 hours ago, alocacoc said:

And this is because of?

Maybe you should read more.

[FritsSikkink]

6 hours ago, janclaes47 said:

Of course, according to you and your friends he wouldn't celebrate Halloween 2017 in the white house........Oh wait we are 2018 now.......how are the charges against Trump adding up lately?

why is he so scared?

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-sees-inquiry-into-cohen-as-greater-threat-than-mueller/ar-AAvQo7s?ocid=spartanntp

[alocacoc]

Maybe you should read more.

I asked you.

Sent from a so called Smartphone using an App.

[lannarebirth]

 

Quote

 

Robert Mueller warns that 'many stories about our investigation have been inaccurate'

 

The office of the special counsel Robert Mueller has said much of the reporting on the investigation into Russian election meddling and the Trump campaign are inaccurate.

A statement warned reporters to "be very cautious" about claims made of the internal workings on Mueller's investigation, which it said resulted in "many" claims that didn't stack up.

News outlets, including Business Insider, routinely report on the progress of the investigation, often citing anonymous sources whose knowledge of the investigation is often unclear to readers.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/robert-mueller-warns-many-stories-on-trump-investigation-not-true-2018-4

 

The beauty of social media is, it doesn't matter if information is accurate or not. As much will be said about the inaccuracy of the information as was said about the inaccurate information itself.

[alocacoc]

'News outlets, including Business Insider, routinely report on the progress of the investigation, often citing anonymous sources whose knowledge of the investigation is often unclear and extremely biased to readers.'

 

We all know what that means. Mueller is about to wrap up. Now he prepares the Dems for the reality. There is no collusion.

 

Democrats must be strong now.

 

Edit: That's how they fabricate 'inaccurate' (others call it fake) news. One would think those 'news outlet' would do a better job - would act accountable. But I know, I asking too much. Nowadays they even earn the Purlitzer. So, it's up to us to exercise critical thinking. I see, that's hard to do for many. But the good news is, it's for free

Edited April 17, 2018 by alocacoc