President Donald Trump and his lawyers are trying desperately to end Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, even as it gets more intensifying as the days go by. That, or he’s asking impossible demands so he doesn’t look like he’s trying to avoid sitting down for an interview.
Here’s one demand that Trump knows Mueller would probably never accept: end the investigation at an agreed upon date, not too long after the interview.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump is suggesting Mueller wrap up the investigation some 60 days after he agrees to a sit-down.
Trump thinks everything is a negotiation. This is one ride that Trump isn’t in control of.
Trump says that the investigation is taking too long, but it must be noted that former President Richard Nixon didn’t resign from office until at least two years after the investigations started into him. President Bill Clinton’s Whitewater scandal lasted years, too.
“You can’t put a timeline on these things,” said Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor and an expert in government investigations. “Someone could walk in the door on the day before their proposed deadline and say, ‘I’ve got some information that’s going to blow your minds.’ … Mueller’s going to say, ‘Oh, too bad, the deadline’s tomorrow?’ ”
In addition to that, Trump also wants to avoid answering all questions face-to-face. He is opting instead to submit written statements in place of oral testimony. We have no idea why Mueller would agree to that, but in order to get an interview with President Trump he might have to.
Trump’s lawyers have been studying past federal court rulings that could help them in avoiding Mueller altogether. If they can’t, they’ll try at a minimum to limit how much Mueller can get out of him.
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