According to Bob Woodward’s book, Fear: Trump in the White House, Trump’s lawyers tried to convince Mueller that he couldn’t testify because he is “a pathological liar.” An excerpt reads,
Dowd then explained to Mueller and Quarles why he was trying to keep the president from testifying: “I’m not going to sit there and let him look like an idiot. And you publish that transcript, because everything leaks in Washington, and the guys overseas are going to say, ‘I told you he was an idiot. I told you he was a goddamn dumbbell. What are we dealing with this idiot for?'”
Dowd also dissuaded Trump from testifying:
Don’t testify. It’s either that or an orange jumpsuit…You are not a good witness. Mr. President, I’m afraid I just can’t help you.
There have been multiple reports on how Trump communicates via unsecured lines, especially among his inner circle, because using secure methods is too great an inconvenience. Intelligence analysts believe Russia or other foreign powers could use these conversations against both America’s foreign policy and Trump individually, and have detected signs of such spying.
Particular concern has been raised about the Kremlin listening in on conversations between Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani regarding communications to the Ukrainian President over military aid for defense from Russia. White House officials have stated that Trump makes such calls regularly.
The Mueller Report specifically said that Trump was not exonerated from the claimed crimes.
Robert Mueller has since explicitly denied that his report exonerated the President of obstructing the Special Council investigation. This was reiterated in front of Congress.
Trump’s attorney general, Jeff Sessions, had recused himself from the investigation into Russian election interference, which developed into the Special Council after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. Trump’s tweet that “Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now” was immediately called an example of attempting to obstruct the Special Council’s investigation.
..This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!
Much of the European Union are allies to the United States through NATO, a mutual defense pact formed explicitly to defend against the Soviet Union. He also said Russia is a “foe in certain respects” and China “is a foe economically.”
Two days later, Trump met with Putin alone for a two hour meeting without any American officials or translators present.
The remark immediately drew attention, given that the other meetings in Europe included with longstanding US allies, and the one scheduled with Putin would not include any other American officials. Trump explained that Putin was merely a “competitor,” and not an enemy.
The accusation came at a NATO summit after Trump had questioned ongoing US military presence in Germany. He based his claim on Germany’s import of Russian oil and natural gas. Most of Europe has long purchased Russian fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, given the expense of having it shipped overseas. The US was also a net importer of oil and had until recently had also been a net importer of natural gas.
Trump made the remark at a G7 meeting, which includes 5 other NATO members. He has repeatedly attacked and cast doubt on the organization’s future. NATO is a mutual defense treaty created to defend against the Soviet Union, which includes 29 members across North America and Europe. NAFTA is a free trade agreement instituted in the 90s between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The two have no connection.
As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!
The remarks were in reference to any potential charges stemming from the Special Council investigating Russian interference in US elections. While asserting his right to pardon himself, he denied any wrongdoing.
Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution explicitly states that the President “shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.”
The sanctions were passed with a veto-proof majority because of Russian election interference in 2016. They followed sanctions passed in 2012 for human rights violations, called the Magnitsky Act.
