Posted on 05/01/2018 4:51:01 PM PDT by Kaslin
RUSH: So there is now a full list of questions, a big, big, big number of questions that the special counsel, Robert Mueller, wants to ask Donald Trump during a sit-down. James Comey at a paid book signing appearance last night said that he would want Trump to sit down with no time limit and that Trump ought to do it.
Im looking at some of these questions and Im wondering, Where in the heck did this come from? You know, I have grown so suspicious, I may have become too suspicious. But this, this just seems like one of these questions by the way, greetings. Great to have you. Rush Limbaugh kicking off here another three hours of broadcast excellence. One of these questions actually Im paraphrasing the question, but its very close to this. What did you think and what did you do when you heard that the special counsel was gonna be appointed to investigate you?
Are you kidding me? Thats actually reportedly a probative question.
What did you think when you heard that I was gonna be hired to destroy you?
What did you think when you found out that I was named by your own administration to come in and get you out of this town? What did you do? What did you think?
I mean, everybodys trying to figure out where these questions came from, and the general assumption is that theyre legitimate questions that Mueller has put together should there be an interview with Trump. And then the question becomes, Well, who leaked these? Did Mueller leak these questions? And if Mueller leaked them, why? If Mueller didnt leak them, then who did? Who called up the New York Times> and said, We got these questions?
These questions are also I dont think theyre verbatim. They are too general and overbroad, like this, What did you think and do when you heard that a special counsel was going to be appointed to essentially nullify your I mean, thats really what the question is. What did you think, what did you do. And anybody would be a fool to start answering that. Anybody would be a fool to answer any of these questions. Ill go through what some of them are here in a moment.
Now, the best guess thinking is that this whole story has actually been leaked by the Trump team. And the primary reason for the leak is to try to convince the president to get rid of this silly idea that theres anything to gain by sitting down and talking to Mueller. Now, if that best guess is true, the New York Times says that leak comes from somebody outside Trumps legal team. Now, thats a very specific identification.
What efforts were made to reach out to Mr. Flynn about seeking immunity or possible pardon, Mr. Mueller planned to ask. Im reading to you from the Times here. What efforts were made to reach tout to Mr. Flynn about seeking immunity or a possible pardon, Mr. Mueller plans to ask, according to questions read by the special counsel investigators to the presidents lawyers, who then compiled the questions into a list. That document was provided to the New York Times by a person outside Mr. Trumps legal team.
Now, Ive talked to the legal advisers here at the EIB Network and they think that that points to John Dowd, Trumps lawyer who recently quit. And John Dowd quit reportedly because he could not convince Trump what a mistake it would be to sit down and do the interview, and if Trump wasnt gonna listen to him he said, why am I here, so he resigned this particular Trump job and moved on. And the best legal minds I know think that this leak may track back to John Dowd because the Times says here document provided to the Times by a person outside Mr. Trumps legal team.
So that exonerates all the current lawyers on the team, but it opens up the possibility of former lawyers on the team. Now, theres many schools of thought on leaking this. One school of thought is that this list of questions will assist Trump in demonstrating to the American people that Mueller doesnt have anything, isnt close to getting anything, and is just really throwing every line hes got into the water and seeing if something bites.
Another school of thought says, No, no. Dont look at it that way. The way to look at this is that Mueller is not going away til he gets Trump. And everything is still wide open. Mueller is still looking at collusion. Mueller is still looking at obstruction. Mueller is looking at Trumps business before he became president. This is a bad sign for the president, says this version, says this opinion of the leak. And Trump should take no comfort from this whatsoever.
Other people say this is great. This is gonna show the American people what an overbroad fishing expedition this is. And if all of these questions remain unanswered, then what does Mueller have? And the conclusion would be Mueller doesnt have anything. Weve had Rod Rosenstein, whos publicly said that hes told Trump that Trump is not a target, parentheses, yet. That hes only a subject. But of course a subject can be converted to a target. These questions, some would say, are designed to make a subject become a target based on the way they are answered.
Trump was out very quickly with tweets referring to the fact that this was evidence of a witch hunt, that theres no even acknowledgment of any crime in these questions, specifically collusion isnt mentioned, the president tweets, only possible obstruction. So its still open-ended as to what all of this really means.
One of the lawyers in the swamp that used to work for Mueller way-back-when in the 90s and has been one of the TV legal analysts defending Bill Clinton all during the Monica Lewinsky cycle is a guy named Michael Zeldin, and hes now a CNN legal analyst. Of course, whos not associated with CNN these days on the get Trump side of things? And he believes that Trump leaked these questions. He believes that Trump himself ordered the leak of these questions, and he thinks so because of the grammatical errors that are in the questions. (laughing)
I think these are notes. This what Zeldin says. I think these are notes taken by the recipients of a conversation with Muellers office Thatd be Trumps lawyers. where Mueller outlined broad topics and Trumps lawyers wrote down questions that they thought these topics may raise.
In other words, Zeldin thinks these are not really Mueller questions. That in the negotiations between Trumps lawyer and Mueller over a potential Trump sit-down, Mueller has given broad areas of his interests to the lawyer. Yeah, like to ask Trump about X and Id like to ask Trump about Y, and then Zeldin says that Trumps lawyers then went and created the questions based on the generic interests that were expressed by Mueller.
He said, Because of the way these questions are written lawyers wouldnt write questions this way in my estimation. Some of the grammar is not even proper, so I dont see this as a list of written questions that Muellers office gave to the presidents lawyers. I think these are more notes that the White House has taken, and then they have expanded upon the conversation with Mueller to write out these questions and then leak them to the New York Times.
Now, just so you know who Zeldin is, he worked as special counsel to Mueller in the early 1990s, when he served as the assistant attorney general of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. Want to hear some of these questions? One question directly asks Trump about Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. During the campaign, what did you know about Russian hacking, Russian use of social media, or other acts aimed at the campaign? Thats one of the questions.
Another question: What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign? Now, you can imagine that the Drive-Bys have zeroed in on that one because Manafort is now under indictment. So the Drive-Bys think that question means that Manaforts crimes are not specifically tied to things he did long before the Trump campaign, that this specific question links Manafort to the collusion.
And theyre orgasming at CNN today because of this particular question. Again, What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign? Now, it says here at the New York Post, Its not clear whether Mueller has evidence that Manafort or any other Trump official coordinated with Russia. Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion. Concerning James Comey, Mueller wants to know about the times Trump met privately with him and why he fired him.
Why he fired Comey?
Now, Trump is perfectly within his constitutional rights to fire Comey, and he doesnt have to offer anybody an excuse or a reason. He can fire Comey cause he doesnt like how tall he is. He can fire Comey cause his hands are too big. He can fire Comey cause he thinks Comeys ties are too short. He can fire Comey for anything. But Mueller wants to know why he did it, and if the questions legit, then this is an entrapment question about trying to get Trump to open up about what he really thinks of Comey, why he got rid of him, and thereby spell out what Trump was really trying to do is hide things.
He was afraid Comey was gonna I can predict what the purpose of these questions is, but I dont know. Theres something about this thats still Its a trap, obviously, but some of this just does not meet the smell test to me, and I cant specify for you right now what it is. But Ive noticed how everybody is not even questioning whether Mueller actually is the source of these questions or the information that became these questions. Theyre just running with it. It was in the New York Times. Everybodys treating this as factual.
Theres no question this is real; theres no question its serious. It just all seems You know when everybody gets on a bandwagon, when everyone starts signing up to the identical conventional wisdom, thats when my radar goes up. Red flags. Something about this and Im sorry, I cant specify it. I cant even specify what it is about this that bothers me. I dont know that Im It could be the whole thing, half legitimate, half fake. Dont know. Ive just never seen anything like this.
Weve had special counsels and independent counsels my whole life, and I have never, ever seen anything like this happen during any of these investigations. I have never seen this kind of detailed, in-depth uncovering of what the special counsel is thinking, doing, wants to know, these kinds of things. Its just that you never see it, and here pretty much everything that Mueller could possibly be interested in has shown up now in the New York Times. And Trump is tweeting about it almost immediately.
I wouldnt be surprised if the Trump team did find a way to get this out. Because, in their view, it probably (they think) helps their circumstance, if their circumstance is to keep Trump from talking to Mueller. Thatd be the biggest mistake Trump could make during all of this is to sit down and have that conversation. And if were to believe the reporting, the reporting is that everybody on Trumps team is telling him not to do it and hes ignoring everybody and is hell-bent on doing it.
And so this is a Hail Mary attempt to try to get Trump to realize the suicide pact he would be signing if he sat down and started taking these questions and trying to answer them. And of all of the possibilities, that seems to me to be the one that makes the most sense. But I still have something gnawing at me that this is not really what it is. And, you know, I probably shouldnt say that because Im not prepared to tell you what I think it is.
Im just sharing with you a gut reaction that something here is not adding up, doesnt make sense. The Drive-Bys are too happy about it. And we know how much literal garbage and drivel has shown up in the New York Times during the entire course of this investigation, and we know how much has shown up that has no basis in fact whatsoever. No truth, no facts whatsoever. So now were told all of a sudden somebody got hold of everything Mueller wants to know about?
Everybody got hold of it, somebody did, and here it is, and now we know everything Muellers scope of interest entails? Mueller also reportedly wants to ask Trump about his statements about Comey and Andrew McCabe. What is the reason for your continued criticism of Mr. Comey and his former deputy, Andrew McCabe? one question Are you kidding? This is actually something Mueller wants to know: Why are you continuing to criticize Comey?
Would somebody tell me where are the legal boundaries in that? Is Trump doing something illegal by criticizing Comey? No. Of course not. If this is real, it means that Mueller believes if he asks this question, that Trump is gonna start on a diatribe of hatred and whatever he thinks about Comey and McCabe, and is eventually going to implicate himself. But this doesnt make any sense. Neither does, What did you think when you found out I was gonna be hired to pursue you? What did you think and what did you do?
Why do you keep criticizing Comey?
Why do you keep saying mean things about my buddy?
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: I have the entire list of questions here, and Im not gonna go through all of them. But many of them do deal with asking the president what he thought, what he thinks, why he continues to say and why he continues to think various things. What was your reaction to Comey when you met alone regarding the Steele dossier? What was your reaction to Comey? What was discussed regarding ancillary reports? This is an attempt to get Trump. I mean, these questions are just Theyre questions for a sap.
I mean, nobody in their right mind would ever try, even if this was just a reporter doing a news story. Forget that this is a lawyer that could put you in jail for lying to him by simply forgetting. Cause once Trump sits down for this and Mueller starts asking these questions, hes gonna ask for another sit and hes gonna ask the questions all over again. Hes gonna start comparing Trumps answers. Thats where you get a process crime of lying to investigators, if Trump forgets what he said to Mueller the first time and says a different version the second time the question comes around.
My friend Andy McCarthy thinks and has written this in the past. He thinks that what all of this indicates is that Mueller is preparing to write a comprehensive report in which he answers all questions about Russia and defends the law enforcement and intelligence services by saying even though there may have been some investigative irregularities, that the main problem here was Trumps poor judgment. Which will then give Mueller leeway to weigh in on matters of Trumps decision-making that have nothing to do with whether Trump is guilty of crimes.
So its basically Andy thinks that what Mueller is setting up here is a very extensive report essentially asserting that Donald Trump is a disaster when it comes to presidential judgment and qualifications and so forth.
That would be absent any hard finding of criminal activity.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: So I checked the email during the break. Somebody wants to know if there are any circumstances under which I would suggest to President Trump that he go ahead and sit down for an interview with Mueller. And, yeah, I can think of some things that if I were Trumps lawyers I would demand. I would demand to testify but not under oath, like Mrs. Clinton. I would demand an exoneration letter before I sat down like Comey gave Hillary. And then I would demand an exoneration letter after the interview.
And then I would demand that a bunch of my assistants and aides be allowed to sit in on the interview. And I want to be able to call them lawyers so that I have attorney-client privilege with them so that nothing can happen to them. And then I want it stipulated at the end of the interview like it was with James Comey and Hillary Clinton that whatever went on here, theres nothing to it cause I didnt intend to do anything wrong. If Trump could secure the same identical circumstances that were granted to Hillary Clinton, then why not sit down for the interview and answer the questions?
But of course, I speak facetiously because everybody knows that Donald Trump is not gonna get the Hillary Clinton treatment extended by James Comey. And can you imagine if he did? Can you imagine the American left and the media if Trump got the same treatment Hillary did? Okay. Mr. President, were not gonna have you under oath. Were gonna interview you, by the way, two days before we issue our report. Thats another thing. Were gonna issue our report on Monday, and were gonna interview you on Saturday, and only for three hours.
Were gonna give you an exoneration letter before the interview begins. Anybody you want in the meeting with you were gonna call an attorney so you have attorney-client privilege. When the interview is over, were gonna issue another exoneration letter, and then were gonna say that whatever you did is not prosecutable or actionable because we couldnt find that you intended to do any of it. Can you imagine ? (laughing)
If Trump were afforded or extended all of those privileges, as Hillary was, can you imagine what CNN and the Drive-By Media would do with it? Let me just give you a couple more examples of questions here and even though well move on to other things. If you want to weigh in on this, feel free. Have at it when we get to the phones. There are four here at the very tail end of this list. I dont know if these questions, as I have them, are in any chronological order or not, but they are the last four. What knowledge did you have of any outreach by members or former members of your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?
Note: Specifically mentioned Paul Manafort. I think so that one previously. And the reason that everybodys harping on this is that heretofore Manaforts indictment and the allegations against Manafort have to go to do with the campaign. Manaforts under indictment for having engaged in supposed criminal activity back in, oh, prior to 2015, 2016. Now that Mueller wants to ask Trump about using Manafort to reach out to the Russians? Well! What did you know about communication between Roger Stone, persons associated with Roger Stone, Julian Assange or WikiLeaks?
These questions come right out of the media, folks. Try this one: What knowledge did you know during the transition about an attempt to establish back-channel communications to Russia, and efforts by Jared Kushner regarding the same? Now, folks, there wasnt any attempt to establish back-channel communications. If Trump had colluded, there already would have been back-channel communications! If Trump is Russia colluded to steal the election, they would have already had numerous back-channel communications.
And this is a question about Jared Kushner trying to establish one during the transition, which is after the election? This is straight out of the New York Times and CNN. If this is legit, this is Mueller reading the news and coming up with questions about what appears in the news. Now, Mueller may have leaked a bunch of that stuff, his office. But this is all about the honey pot Russian lawyer, Veselnitskaya, who came into Trump Tower supposedly with dirt on Hillary.
Jared was in there with Don Jr., and when they found out this woman didnt have any dirt on Hillary that it was a scam to get her in there and talk about some piece of legislation they all left the meeting. But news media reports had this meeting established as Jared wanting to set up a back-channel communication with the Russians, which is absurd if there was any collusion to begin with. What do you know about a 2017 meeting in Seychelles [France] involving Erik Prince of Blackwater?
What do you know about a Ukrainian peace proposal provided to Mr. [Michael] Cohen in 2017? Straight out of the news media. But these questions are huge, gigantic traps. Because if Muellers asking em, none of em are illegitimate. No matter how extraneous, off topic, off subject they appear to be, they are, at the very least they are traps to ensnare people in process crimes. And they go way beyond any original reason for Mueller being hired to begin this work, the so-called collusion and so forth. So well see how it unfolds.
I still I do agree with the idea that the leak may have come from a former Trump lawyer not currently on the legal team, the express purpose here being to advise, shock, really suggest to the president that this is a dumb idea to sit down and talk to this guy. No matter how much you think of yourself, no matter how good you think you are at dazzling people, thats not what this is about, and you cant change the way Mueller is thinking with the force of your personality.
You know, Ive equated this to an educational moment for me when I first started this program. When I first started, I had no experience being interviewed by the media. Maybe a little in Sacramento, but it was nothing that was truly intended to be injurious to me. So I had no experience with it. And when the show begins and it takes off I mean, in the first six months to a year, were just adding stations left and right, and it is I mean, everybodys talking about it. Its the biggest news in the world.
The medias calling. I remember a particular interview in Los Angeles, a reporter from the Los Angeles Times who wanted to talk to me before I had a Rush to Excellence appearance out there, and I made the silly mistake. It was an honest mistake; I didnt know any better. I made the silly mistake of assuming this reporter really wanted to know who I was, really wanted to know why my program was succeeding, and really wanted to know what I thought about things. And this reporter could not have cared less.
The reporter had already made up her mind about me, and it was not good. Her story was already written, and there was nothing I could do, nothing I could have done that would have changed her mind. I didnt know that. I really I was so stupid and naive, I thought these people were genuinely interested in something that was brand-new, that nobody could explain, that didnt exist before, and they wanted to try to understand where it was happening. That was not at all what she was interested in.
Her purpose was to marginalize me and categorize me as an extremist radical on the right and that my audience was a bunch of hayseed, hick kooks and all. And every other story about this. I learned that the last thing any of these media interviews was really about was the reporter learning anything or becoming informed. It was not because they were genuinely curious. They were resentful, and I and my program were something they had to try to damage. And thats exactly what Mueller would be doing in a sit-down with Trump. Muellers not interested in Trumps version of the truth. Mueller thinks he already knows it.
Mueller doesnt care what Trumps successes are.
He doesnt care about any of that.
Theres nothing Trump could do to change Muellers mind.
Whatever Mueller thinks now, theres nothing Trump could do to change his mind, because this whole process is about damaging Trump. And anything Trump might say, any information Trump might have that would change Muellers mind, Mueller isnt gonna hear. Hes not gonna react to it. Its not the purpose of a sit-down. Mueller doesnt want to talk to Trump to learn anything. Mueller doesnt want to talk to Trump to get Trumps side of things. Mueller doesnt want to talk to Trump to actually find out what Trumps thinking.
All of this is nothing more than Mueller using his power as special counsel and lawyer to use Trumps own participation in getting Trump to commit a crime, to admit to one or to commit one while hes talking to Mueller. Thats all this is. You ever heard of any independent or special counsel, at the end of his investigation, writing a report saying, After two years of exhaustive investigation and study, we have found nobody who did anything wrong? Do you ever remember that?
No, because it hasnt happened. After two years or however long its gonna be and however many lawyers hes got helping him, after however much money, the last thing thats gonna happen is anybody get exonerated here.
This is all designed to wake Trump up and say, Look, pal. Forget who you are, forget who you dazzle. You cant dazzle the guy. You cant make him believe your version of things. Their minds are already made up. Youre not qualified to be president. He shouldnt have won, and their purpose is to get rid of you. And if you help them, then their jobs gonna be easier. And thats what theyre looking for you to do. Theyre looking for you, Mr. President, to help them get rid of you.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Okay. Now, to the theory that these questions have been leaked by a former Trump lawyer in order to try to convince President Trump not to talk to Mueller, why would they have to leak the questions for Trump to see them? Why couldnt Trumps lawyers show him the questions, say, Man, you do not want to have any part of this. You dont have to talk to this guy, and the fact that this is what he wants to ask you about, theres no way.
Why leak these, why make them public if the purpose is to persuade Trump to stay away? You wouldnt have to leak em unless there is some advantage these people might think in public pressure on Trump, Trump supporters seeing this and also joining the chorus of saying that Trump should not sit down.
Immediately after the meeting with Mueller, the President's attorneys rushed to their individual cars and typed up what they remembered from their conversation with Mueller.
Then they all got together to construct the questions from a combination of their notes.
Then they gave their combo questions to a friend, who is an attorney, and a professor (only kidding). Unfortunately, when the attorney went for lunch, his car was robbed and his briefcase with the questions was stolen.
The thief delivered it to the media and collected a bundle.
So who got a bundle?
Russian hackers.
or someone at the New York Times fabricated these questions and is trying to pass the whole list off as a leak.
I know, a stretch, however keep in mind that the dossier was complete fiction or nearly so.
The fake news is the DNC and the DNC a/k/a the Clinton machine is capable of anything.
I’ll go with “fiction”.
Not a leak at all.
The NYT is trying to shape public opinion that an improper answer to any of these questions is an impeachable offense. They are playing impressionable liberals to vote ‘RAT in the midterms and then an impeachment on an improper answer to any of the questions even though an improper answer does not seem to be a crime.
Why is mueller threatening to subpoena Trump if the investigation isn’t targeting Trump?
Look at the questions. These are aimed not at finding facts, they are meant to ping the touchy feely emoting side of liberal minds. These are politically charged to appeal to dead soul liberal emotions, as in 'inflame the dumbed down base of the democrap party in an election year.'
Does Rush not know the Russian attorney has been outed by Putin as a Russian spy? Rush needs to listen to reruns of Dan Bongino’s more revealing radio show.
Why in the world would Mueller leak questions he wants to ask Trump ?
To give Trump a heads up ? So he can prepare for the interview ? Don’t think so...
Someone else fabricated these questions, leaked them for media consumption.
Why ? Narrative shift .
Fear of whats coming ?
No, manipulating the brain dead, dead soul base of democrap voters. Got to motivate the drek dontchaknow.
These questions were leaked by the Trump side. It shows how absurd the Mueller gang is. These questions were confirmed by FOX News this evening as being the real deal.
The Democrats’ salacious dossier features a “prostitute” character. This is straight out of the low-life sex-saturated mind of Bill Clinton-— cavorting with prostitutes is a big deal Arkansas thing.
Unfortunately, Mueller hasnt figured it out yet, but the dossier’s prostie character is the exculpatory clue——and evidence of the criminal Clintons colluding to take down Trump.
CASE IN POINT: Playboy’s Hugh Hefner was shot down bigtime-——Hefner could NOT get a gaming license for a Playboy Club in Atlantic City. The inference, of course, is Hefner’s connection with prostitutes made him unsuitable for an A/C gaming license.
The gaming commission is assiduous in vetting those who apply for gaming licenses.
Donald Trump passed the vetting with flying colors———if he had any connection to prostitutes, it would have been exposed.
End of story. The A/C gaming commission allowed Trump to operate four A/C casinos. Somebody better call Mueller.
Muellers a hit man and wont stop until his job is done. Hes in legal jeopardy if he fails. This is why he wont stop and not just him but a lot of democrats will be in trouble if they cant stop Trump. Thank God, God himself is on Trumps side.
The leaked Mueller questions are so simplistic.
One doesnt have to be a rocket scientist to see the Democrat meme written all over the queries.
Before any sit-down takes place. Trumps lawyers should ask Mueller: Who wrote these questions for you?
This is important b/c we need to know who is cueing in lamebrain Mueller.
Why doesn’t Mueller deny that he leaked?
Mueller must be a clone of the simpleton Broward Sheriff Israel.
Every blessed things these guys say or do exposes their own shortcomings and the complicity of their cohorts.
Every road Mueller takes deeply implicates his Democrat handlers.
He doesnt have too many roads left to traverse....and that will lead to his undoing.
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