Donald Trump was scheduled to sit down for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller in January, but he backed out after learning the topics investigators wanted to discuss.
According to The Associated Press, “The date had been picked, the location too, and the plan was penciled in: President Donald Trump would be whisked from the White House to Camp David on a quiet winter Saturday to answer questions from special counsel Robert Mueller’s team.”
More from the AP:
But as the Jan. 27, 2018, date neared and Mueller provided the topics he wanted to discuss, Trump’s lawyers balked. Attorney John Dowd then fired off a searing letter disputing Mueller’s authority to question the president. The interview was off.
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Nearly a year later, Trump has still not spoken directly to Mueller’s team — and may never. Through private letters, tense meetings and considerable public posturing, the president’s lawyers have engaged in a tangled, tortured back-and-forth with the special counsel to prevent the president from sitting down for a face-to-face with enormous political and legal consequences.
The report added that one reason Trump was terrified of a face-to-face interview is that Mueller planned to ask him whether he had “corrupt intent” when firing former FBI director James Comey.
According to the AP, Trump’s lawyer at the time “responded that the question was ridiculous and the answer was obviously no.” Investigators then threatened to subpoena the president if he didn’t cooperate.
MSNBC’s Ari Melber reported more:
Trump was scheduled to sit down for an interview with Mueller in January – but he backed out when learning what topics would be discussed. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/ye3rJYjXT4
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) November 22, 2018
Trump is behaving like a guilty man
All along, Trump and his legal team have been operating as if they know they are guilty and trying to minimize their exposure to Mueller.
Whether it was refusing to go under oath during a potential interview with the special counsel, pushing for written answers only or now reportedly backing out of a scheduled sit down because of the question topics, this is not how innocent people behave.
If Donald Trump isn’t willing to answer questions about “corrupt intent,” then chances are he probably had corrupt intent.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
