The Mooch: I hope Trump doesn't testify in Mueller probe

The Hill

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said Sunday that he hopes President Trump does not testify in the special counsel’s Russia probe.

“I actually don’t want him to testify because, as a lawyer, I don’t want him caught in a ‘gotcha’ moment where someone accuses him of lying where he may not remember something or something like that,” Scaramucci said during a roundtable discussion on ABC’s “This Week.”

Trump said late last month that he would testify under oath to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian election meddling and possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow.

But White House lawyer Ty Cobb said the president spoke in a rush at the time, though he maintained Trump’s commitment to cooperating with Mueller’s investigation.

Scaramucci’s caution to the president comes after the House Intelligence Committee released a controversial memo last week that accuses the Justice Department of abusing its surveillance powers.

Chalk up another one to "Not suspicious at all," territory.

Don't see the problem here, tbh. Testifying against yourself is indeed a trap and Trump's lawyers would do well not to let Trump testify.

@perfect_blue: He's already set himself up nicely for obstruction charges. All he has to do is say something that indicates intent.

He would indeed be wise to avoid testifying.

So Mooch just admitted that Trump isn't bright enough to remember his own lies.

Brilliant

I don’t know if Trump is guilty, but he acts like the guiltiest MFer on the planet. Literally every action the admin takes makes them look *more* suspicious

You want Trump to be quiet? I really wish he could be that...

He already did say something that indicates intent, on national TV no less.

OT, Heaven forbid Trump's actually confronted with the truth and facts and can't just make up his own reality and walk away.

@MirkoS77: I kind of thought I'd get called out for that, and that's fair.

All he really needs to do is say something that can concretely define intent in a trial.

What did he do?

@n64dd: stated that he fired Comey with the reason being the Russian investigation on his mind.

prove that

I don't need to prove it, because Trump explains it right here.

It's Mueller's job whether he's going to buy Trump's rationale as to whether or not him firing Comey constitutes obstruction, but the intent has been stated by Trump himself that Russia was on his mind when he did it under the pretense that Comey was compromised, and that the whole thing is fake news and is nothing but a witch hunt because of the democrat's defeat. Just like Trump would state the exact same thing if he had subsequently fired Mueller, that he has no integrity (translation: doesn't kiss Trump's ass at every turn and tow his narrative he's innocent). Yada yada yada, more of Trump's bullshit.

Would you then sit there after a Mueller firing and say it's not obstruction and no intent has been shown?

I think you're taking it out of context.

@n64dd:

If Trump truly is one who's innocent, then he's undoubtedly one of the most politically naive and obtuse people on the planet, to such an extent that an entire investigation is hanging over his head due to such naivete of action. Even the average Joe without any political acumen understands it's probably not the best of decisions to come out and state such things when you're suspect. The cost of such stupidity is only something Trump could accomplish, and if he ends up exonerated I'll have garnered as much entertainment value out of this whole fiasco as those who proclaimed him innocent from the get go. Nothing is so enjoyable in life as to witness the product of immense stupidity.

So when Trump does go in to testify before Mueller (he can play hard to get, but will eventually get subpoenaed), all they pretty much have to do is ask him why he fired James Comey. If he admits what he has already said in the NBC interview then that's obstruction of justice, and if he denies it he's lying under oath basically? No wonder nobody around him wants this to happen.

That isn't how such crimes work. When it comes to proving intent folks get away with some of the most asinine defenses. You basically have to admit the crime outright in order to have any real risk. This is how Hilary got away with the "I am old and don't understand computers..." defense. Even though she was on camera saying she didn't want her emails to be public because they would be used against her, and a hack confirmed she was actively undermining democracy.

trump can simply play the same game by saying "What, it was just some political posturing, the base loves it! I never would have actually done it without being so advised." So long as someone from his legal team manages to scribble the phrase on his hand before he walks in, trump has nothing to worry about.

Not that lying under oath is a problem for a president.

He already stated it, he doesn't have to admit to it. What's at issue is intent (of which Trump would like us all to believe it's because Comey's compromised and Trump's looking out for the "American people", right), or that it's to impede or shut down the Russian inquiry. Trump says it's about Comey and because he oh-so cares for the integrity of our institutions, of which he's done nothing but shit on over and over again. No one on the Right is ever going to see anyone appointment to special counsel to have the slightest integrity until they shut down the Russian investigation in full and brown nose Trump. Funny that Limbaugh was licking Mueller's balls upon his appointment, touting his integrity.....until he decided not to let Trump off the hook.

So if I understand the above correctly, we are using the the dossier put together buy a foreign spy, that was actively funded by both parties and Hillary Clinton campaign contributed to, in order to investigate trump for colluding with foreigners to get dirt on Clinton.

We really need to bulldoze DC.

IIRC the Nunes memo had a sentence in it that the initial investigation isn't based off the Christopher Steele dossier.

http://www.newsweek.com/nunes-memo-george-papadopoulos-carter-page-donald-trump-798739

Compelling link. Also find it interesting the Nunes memo is gospel now.

*edit* And it took me about sixty seconds to find out that the memo claims: The Steele dossier "formed an essential part of the Carter Page FISA application."

You didn't understand the above correctly.

Maybe read the article, instead of the tweet.

If the investigation were about collusion with the Russians Trump would testify. However the investigation is about getting Trump out of office any possible. When you testify before the FBI you are going against a stacked deck. Unless you are Hillary Clinton and your supporters are asking the questions off the rccord.

Except it is about Russia. Why do you think Michael Flynn pleaded guilty and Paul Manafort was indicted?

Actually, I want to see him testify. That way he'll save everyone a lot of time and money and just self-incriminate and everything will be over and done with.