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Robert Mueller Threatens President Trump With A Subpoena If He Does Not Submit To An Interview
RedState ^ | May 2, 2018 | streiff

Posted on 05/02/2018 10:46:40 AM PDT by sickoflibs

The leak of a list of questions Mueller wants to ask President Trump is a sign that Mueller’s seemingly never-ending investigation in search of a crime may be getting close to a conclusion. One would think that before interviewing Trump, Mueller would have interviewed everyone else relevant to the case and is now trying to show discrepancies between Trump’s amazingly elastic memory and the memory of others in order to give his leftwing fan club the joy of claiming “obstruction.”

Yesterday, the Washington Post ran an anonymously sourced story claiming that Mueller had threatened Trump with a subpoena if he refused to submit to a “voluntary” interview.

In a tense meeting in early March with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, President Trump’s lawyers insisted he had no obligation to talk with federal investigators probing Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

But Mueller responded that he had another option if Trump declined: He could issue a subpoena for the president to appear before a grand jury, according to four people familiar with the encounter.

Mueller’s warning — the first time he is known to have mentioned a possible subpoena to Trump’s legal team — spurred a sharp retort from John Dowd, then the president’s lead lawyer.

“This isn’t some game,” Dowd said, according to two people with knowledge of his comments. “You are screwing with the work of the president of the United States.”

Will Trump agree to go along with an interview? I’d say the odds are quite a bit less than 50-50. It is widely reported that Trump is still incensed over Mueller using the Southern District of New York US attorney’s office as a stalking horse to get him access to Michael Cohen’s communications with Trump. (Let’s not fool ourselves here and think Cohen was subjected to a no-notice raid of his home, office, and residence because of some bullsh** back tax due on taxi medallions or any other financial wizardry he may have been involved in.) And this tweet by Trump is probably a solid indication of the direction he’s going in part because he’s pissed at Mueller and in part because he’s read the polls and thinks a fight with Mueller will be politically profitable.

It is also an open question whether Mueller even has that authority. Department of Justice regulations say that a sitting president can’t be indicted. So if Trump just refused to comply with the subpoena, Mueller would have damned little recourse. Trump might even think the blatant defiance was a win…and he might be right.

And Mueller is not a special counsel in the mold of Ken Starr. He’s a temp employee of the Department of Justice. He’s supervised (hahaha) by Rod Rosenstein who would certainly have to sign off on anything as extraordinary as a subpoena issued to the President. If Rosenstein did that, his tenure could be measured in nanoseconds.

More to the point, if the leaked questions are in any way accurate, they are simply inappropriate. There is no reason on earth why any president should have to explain to anyone his rationale for firing people or for his policy preferences or reveal his feeling about particular people. That is just fodder for leaks.

Mueller may get his interview, but you can bet it probably will not be a multi-hour, under oath session.


TOPICS: Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: jamescomey; lisapage; mueller; obstruction; peterstrzok; robertmueller; subpoena; trump
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To: sickoflibs

The only reason that the ‘questions’ were leaked was in the hopes that Trump will prepare to answer those questions, and the real questions will be about something else entirely.


61 posted on 05/02/2018 11:41:03 AM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
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To: Red Badger
5th Amendment.

Use it.....................


62 posted on 05/02/2018 11:41:03 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: Truth29

“He needs to have military investigators and military police raid Mueller’s home and office (like they did to Trump’s lawyer) along with the rest of the major coup plotters and seize all of the computers and records to find the evidence of the coup attempt to overthrow the lawfully elected President of the United States”

I’ve been saying this all along.

Mueller is pushing the envelope like no one in American history and he has no opposition.

No reason the President can’t push the envelope a bit himself. Hell, Lincoln did it and everyone thinks he’s God.

Let Schumer try to lead the impeachment trap game then. Maybe the JAG officer in charge would have some questions for him too. Whatcha got to hide, Chuck?


63 posted on 05/02/2018 11:42:42 AM PDT by Regulator
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To: jazminerose

“And what might the actual crime be?”
____________________________________

Winning the November 2016 Presidential election.


64 posted on 05/02/2018 11:44:54 AM PDT by july4thfreedomfoundation (Washington is NOT a swamp.....It's a cesspool!)
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To: sickoflibs

I just read at Townhall that Trump is going to “answer Mueller’s questions.”

Thanks a lot, Mr. Giuliani. I was hoping you had the ability to come up with a plan.

Some plan.

Totally disgusted.


65 posted on 05/02/2018 11:45:45 AM PDT by Maris Crane
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To: sickoflibs

I just wish that we could get by the idea that Trump is subject to subpoena. He is not. Muller can charge him but Trump can pardon himself. But were I in Trumps position I would fire Muller and be done with it.


66 posted on 05/02/2018 11:46:37 AM PDT by Phlap (REDNECK@LIBARTS.EDU)
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To: sickoflibs

If Mueller was after Hillary like this, he wind up Arkancided.


67 posted on 05/02/2018 11:49:44 AM PDT by BuffaloJack (Chivalry is not dead. It is a warriors code and only practiced by warriors.)
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To: sickoflibs

Mueller is trying to force Trump to fire him

He may just have to and damn the torpedoes


68 posted on 05/02/2018 11:56:40 AM PDT by uncbob
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To: Truth29

I like the way you think.


69 posted on 05/02/2018 11:57:11 AM PDT by DarthVader ("The biggest misconception on Free Republic is that the Deep State is invulnerable")
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To: sickoflibs

Mueller is not going anywhere. He is here to stay, and the GOP better brace for a crazy fall 2018 election.

Suburban white women are angrier than ever right now.


70 posted on 05/02/2018 11:58:05 AM PDT by GuavaCheesePuff
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To: UCANSEE2
RE:”The only reason that the ‘questions’ were leaked was in the hopes that Trump will prepare to answer those questions, and the real questions will be about something else entirely.”

The most common explanation even on FNC is that Trump's legal team leaked them so when Trump watches TV and see’s everyone predict he would be toast if he answered them he will refuse an interview.

Note all the open ended questions about his ‘thinking at the time’

71 posted on 05/02/2018 12:01:43 PM PDT by sickoflibs (Florida school safety bill=gun grabbing)
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To: Maris Crane

Trump, Giuliani and whoever else is involved in this decision are making a fatal judgment that they are dealing with an investigation seeking evidence of collusion. That is not the case. Mueller and company are coup plotters who intend to remove or destroy Trump by any means necessary. They are enemy agents who are a threat to the Republic and should be treated the same as we would fifth column operatives.


72 posted on 05/02/2018 12:02:51 PM PDT by Truth29
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To: frog in a pot

criminal charges brought by an uncompromised DOJ.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where do we get one of those?


73 posted on 05/02/2018 12:03:12 PM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here of Citizen Parents__Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: Phlap
RE:”Muller can charge him but Trump can pardon himself.”

Cant imagine that would go over too well, that would definitely lead to impeachment. Accepting a Pardon is considered an admission of guilt like a Plea

Recall Clinton copped a Plea to avoid a Perjury charge after he was out of office, so a pardon was not an option.

74 posted on 05/02/2018 12:05:56 PM PDT by sickoflibs (Florida school safety bill=gun grabbing)
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To: Truth29

Trump and his administration are operating in a field of play way above what we can imagine let alone see....at best we get a distorted view via the media and what ever might trickle down.....but we sure as heck wouldn’t be seeing his accomplishments if He weren’t slinging his fists harder than the opposition..........they just can’t control the field of play anymore.


75 posted on 05/02/2018 12:07:32 PM PDT by caww
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To: sickoflibs
Some possible counter tactics: 1) Charges against Mueller for violating legal ethics (LOTS of fodder there from a long career of crooked dealings); 2) motion for disbarment by the relevant state bar assn. on the grounds of obstruction of justice, illegal raid on Cohen, or a thousand other things. Congress should also move to impeach Clinton judge Kimba Wood. Congress should also move to defund any further work of the Special Counsel for 1) lack of any legitimate original basis and 2) violation of legal ethics by the illegal raid on Cohen and the illegal attempt to subpoena the President.
76 posted on 05/02/2018 12:08:34 PM PDT by Missouri gal
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To: Keflavik76

RE:”A Special Counsel does not have the authority to demand a seating President testify. “

BJ Clinton got ordered to testify that he had sex with Monica under oath in front of Grand Jury.


77 posted on 05/02/2018 12:08:51 PM PDT by sickoflibs (Florida school safety bill=gun grabbing)
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To: Truth29

I am so happy you agree. I hesitated using the phrase, saving of the republic, but that is exactly what this is. The President has powers, if he does not use them, he relinquishes them...and to whom?

To those working with Mueller who plan to destroy President Trump and the very foundation of the Constitution. Separation of Powers.

Looks like rogue actors in the DOJ will be the winners.


78 posted on 05/02/2018 12:09:40 PM PDT by Maris Crane
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To: Missouri gal
RE:”Some possible counter tactics: 1) Charges against Mueller for violating legal ethics (LOTS of fodder there from a long career of crooked dealings);”

Who do you think will do that?

79 posted on 05/02/2018 12:12:58 PM PDT by sickoflibs (Florida school safety bill=gun grabbing)
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To: sickoflibs

No wonder RedState had to lay off a bunch of their people last week. The reporting in this piece is awful. Everything about this story has been wild speculation ... especially when you consider that they’re reporting about a meeting that allegedly took place two months ago.


80 posted on 05/02/2018 12:14:25 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's.")
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