Legal experts say Donald Trump added to his legal jeopardy and the potential obstruction of justice case against him during an interview on Fox News. The part of the interview that added to Trump’s woes was set up by a Fox and Friends host flattering the President by saying he was smart to lie about the Comey tapes.
Video:
https://youtu.be/-Sp2y1QUNjA
Transcript:
AINSLEY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): Big news today. You said you didn’t tape [former FBI Director] James Comey. Do you want to explain that? Why did you want him to believe you possibly did that?
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well I didn’t tape him. You never know what’s happening when you see that the Obama administration, and perhaps longer than that, was doing all of this unmasking and surveillance. And you read all about it and I’ve been reading about it for the last couple of months about the seriousness and horrible situation with surveillance all over the place. And you’ve been hearing the word “unmasking,” a word you probably never heard before. So you never know what’s out there, but I didn’t tape and I don’t have any tape and I didn’t tape. But, when he found out that there may be tapes out there, whether it’s governmental tapes or anything else, and who knows, I think his story may have changed. I mean, you’ll have to take a look at that because then he has to tell what actually took place at the events. And my story didn’t change. My story was always a straight story. My story was always the truth. But you’ll have to determine for yourself whether or not his story changed. But, I did not tape.
EARHARDT: That was a smart way to make sure he stayed honest in those hearings.
TRUMP: Well, it wasn’t very stupid, I can tell you that.
Bloomberg reported that the tapes that Trump lied about could place him in more legal jeopardy:
The tweets targeting Comey “could be relevant†to an obstruction investigation, even if the tapes don’t actually exist, said Julie O’Sullivan, a former federal prosecutor who worked on the team investigating Bill and Hillary Clinton during the Whitewater inquiry.
“It’s basically trying to tell Comey, ‘Don’t say anything,â€â€™ said O’Sullivan, now a law professor at Georgetown University.
If the tweets were relevant, then Trump’s comments on Fox News about the tweets and the tapes lie are also relevant.
By flattering Trump, and inflating his ego, Fox News may have added to evidence that Trump obstructed justice. If Trump goes down, he will have his own mouth and favorite television network to thank for his demise.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
