Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

fleur-de-lisa

(14,616 posts)
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 03:39 PM Jan 2018

"I've Watched Trump Testify Under Oath. It Isn't Pretty."

In a 2007 deposition in my libel case (which he lost), he was underprepared and overconfident. - By Timothy L. O'Brien


https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-01-25/i-ve-watched-trump-testify-under-oath-it-isn-t-pretty

Speaking from experience, I think the president's attorneys should grab their worry beads. Trump sued me for libel in 2006 for a biography I wrote, "TrumpNation," alleging that the book misrepresented his business record and understated his wealth. Trump lost the suit in 2011, but during the litigation my lawyers deposed him under oath for two days in 2007. We had the opportunity to ask Trump about his business and banking practices, his taxes, his personal finances and his professional relationships.

Trump's attorney then was Marc Kasowitz, who also briefly represented the president when the Justice Department investigation first got rolling in Washington. My attorney was Mary Jo White, a former federal prosecutor steeped in many of the same legal traditions and courtroom experiences as Mueller. It didn't go well for the future president.

Hammered by White and her deputies, Trump ultimately had to admit 30 times that he had lied over the years about all sorts of stuff: how much of a big Manhattan real estate project he owned; the price of one of his golf club memberships; the size of the Trump Organization; his wealth; his speaking fees; how many condos he had sold; his debts, and whether he borrowed money from his family to avoid going personally bankrupt. He also lied during the deposition about his business dealings with career criminals.

Trump's poor performance stemmed in part from the fact that he was being interrogated by shrewd attorneys wielding his own business and financial records against him. But there were lots of other things that went wrong as well.

Trump is impatient and has never been an avid or dedicated reader. That’s OK if you’d rather play golf, but it’s not OK when you need to absorb abundant or complex details. Lawyers typically prepare binders full of documents for their clients to pore over prior to a deposition, hoping to steel them for an intense grilling. My lawyers did that prior to my own deposition in the Trump lawsuit. But Trump didn’t appear to be well prepared when we deposed him, a weakness that my lawyers exploited (and that Mueller surely would as well).

Trump, for example, had submitted a document to the court from his accountant outlining his assets and liabilities. He was proud of the document’s glowing conclusions but hadn’t seemed to have read most of it prior to sitting down with my lawyers – including a section that said that the report wasn’t a reliable gauge of his wealth. Trump seemed surprised when my lawyers pointed that out.

Trump also has a well-known inability to stick to the facts and a tendency to dissemble and improvise. While under oath, he’ll try to avoid saying that he’s lied in the past until he’s presented with documentation proving otherwise.
51 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
"I've Watched Trump Testify Under Oath. It Isn't Pretty." (Original Post) fleur-de-lisa Jan 2018 OP
Thank You for posting this.. Trump defines himself with his own lies. Stuart G Jan 2018 #1
This was the deposition in which he said his wealth depended how he felt at any given day. dixiegrrrrl Jan 2018 #14
A "good bullshitter"..... SergeStorms Jan 2018 #24
We now know from the White House doctor that Trump has excellent eyesight. I think 20/30 Maraya1969 Jan 2018 #36
Really? Given the way he tilts his xxqqqzme Jan 2018 #38
The doctor made a point of his great eyesight, especially for a 71 year old man. I'm sure it was Maraya1969 Jan 2018 #39
After wearing reading classes for many years, I now do not need them. dixiegrrrrl Jan 2018 #40
Maybe.. cannabis_flower Jan 2018 #44
If you can stomach it watch Trump lie boldly and act like Lester Holt is buying it Botany Jan 2018 #47
You mean to say he's a republican?!? joshdawg Jan 2018 #41
K & Fckn' R! nt Guy Whitey Corngood Jan 2018 #2
I've Watched Trump Testify Under Oath. It Isn't Pretty." Leghorn21 Jan 2018 #3
It wouldn't be pretty; it would be absolutely, stunningly beautiful! SeattleVet Jan 2018 #4
This denbot Jan 2018 #6
dit-dit-dit-DAH! (I hope that spells I agree!) erronis Jan 2018 #8
It also spells this-- pangaia Jan 2018 #9
Didnt that Mexican judge refuse to release his depo vid in the trump U lawsuit? Gabi Hayes Jan 2018 #33
Trump's own attorneys learned that lesson gratuitous Jan 2018 #5
For Argument's Sake, When is Trump Ever Pretty? dlk Jan 2018 #7
Here? Gabi Hayes Jan 2018 #34
KNR Lucinda Jan 2018 #10
Under Oath? Not a problem for Donald keithbvadu2 Jan 2018 #11
Hes full of shit, No way no how will he testify under oath IMO........... Old Vet Jan 2018 #29
Well, I do have to give him the benefit of the doubt there... SeattleVet Jan 2018 #42
Neat loophole, eh? He might even be ballsy enough to try it. keithbvadu2 Jan 2018 #48
I would pay to watch Mueller question The Turd. Marie Marie Jan 2018 #12
Me too! fleur-de-lisa Jan 2018 #20
Let's just call it the Dunning-Kruger presidency Saviolo Jan 2018 #13
That's a great argument as to why stupidity should be painful. n/t dixiegrrrrl Jan 2018 #15
It is. kag Jan 2018 #51
This is what I was saying yesterday too. BigmanPigman Jan 2018 #17
And it has also been suggested that Mueller probably has his Tax records. A nice weapon to have OnDoutside Jan 2018 #16
Mueller probably has a lot more in terms of documents than just Trump's tax records. Sophia4 Jan 2018 #26
Breathtaking more like it! Brainfodder Jan 2018 #18
I love real examples like this. Thank you. And this was when he was a sharp 59 y.o. ! ancianita Jan 2018 #19
The interview is going to be intense for both sides. But exciting. Trump also has a temper. Honeycombe8 Jan 2018 #21
Testify, Brother, Testify. spike jones Jan 2018 #22
I remember there was a video of him being deposed and it almost seemed as if he couldn't read. Vinca Jan 2018 #23
I saw one deposition where he was asked to read something. trof Jan 2018 #25
How are such liars allowed to even run as POTUS? BSdetect Jan 2018 #27
IOKIYR That's Why! OMGWTF Jan 2018 #50
I really hope that any depo of trump is videotaped Gothmog Jan 2018 #28
I believe every syllable of the foregoing. BobTheSubgenius Jan 2018 #30
If CodeOrange agrees to testify under oath yonder Jan 2018 #31
Kick dalton99a Jan 2018 #32
And Now Is Seven Brain Addled Dementia Years Later! DoctorJoJo Jan 2018 #35
All of the reasons that tRump will hang himself Grammy23 Jan 2018 #37
Well, that's Priceless, fleur.. Mahalo! Cha Jan 2018 #43
"worry beads"? milestogo Jan 2018 #45
I think what Mueller knows and what tRump doesnt NoMoreRepugs Jan 2018 #46
If his lawyers let him testify under Oath in a criminal proceeding fescuerescue Jan 2018 #49

Stuart G

(38,365 posts)
1. Thank You for posting this.. Trump defines himself with his own lies.
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 03:45 PM
Jan 2018

And that was 10 years ago. Because of his pal "Putin" he now thinks he is above the law.

I do not think that Mr. Mueller will appreciate an attitude of someone who thinks "he is above the law."

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
14. This was the deposition in which he said his wealth depended how he felt at any given day.
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 05:22 PM
Jan 2018

On his mood!
He made that stupid statement after trying to bullshit on a question of his total wealth, kept getting pinned down and finally, with a straight face, came up with that.
He also tried to get out of reading things the lawyers asked him to read, by saying he had left his glasses at home. We have never seen him use glasses.

there is an actual video of that deposition floating around the web, I think I got it off YouTube. Given where we are now, it is very instructive.

He is a bullshit artist and rarely in a public setting has been pinned down like he was in this and other depositions.

The startling part of watching the deposition is how easily he lies in sentence after sentence, even when the first lie conflicts with a
subsequent lie, he just keeps talking and moving on, with no sign of shame. Very disquieting. I have known a few good bullshitters in my day, he really is in a class of his own.

Mueller is gonna have a field day, I hope he records it.

SergeStorms

(18,907 posts)
24. A "good bullshitter".....
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 06:53 PM
Jan 2018

has to have an incredible memory, something Trump seems to lack. I think he'll be found out to be a horrible bullshitter. I believe he'll contradict himself constantly, perjure himself frequently, and reveal to Mueller & Co. what a pitiful piece of crap he truly is. Trump is full of false bravado at the moment, thinking himself to be above the law. He truly doesn't understand what the Office of President entails. He thinks himself to be invincible, untouchable, and the smartest man in the room, whatever room he happens to be in.

Never has one human being been so mistaken in their own personal assessment. "This above all, to thine own self be true". William Shakespeare's words from 'Hamlet' are a concept which every person in existence should be acquainted with. Trump has no idea what those words mean. Honestly examining his own life would never occur to Trump. That would be something "losers" do, in his opinion.

Trump will hang himself with his own rope. None will have to be provided.

Maraya1969

(22,441 posts)
36. We now know from the White House doctor that Trump has excellent eyesight. I think 20/30
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 01:09 AM
Jan 2018

Wait until he tries to pull that with Mueller. Or better yet in his trial

xxqqqzme

(14,887 posts)
38. Really? Given the way he tilts his
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 01:26 AM
Jan 2018

head, opens his eyes wide and his massive ego, I figured he wore contacts.

Maraya1969

(22,441 posts)
39. The doctor made a point of his great eyesight, especially for a 71 year old man. I'm sure it was
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 01:42 AM
Jan 2018

bullshit though, just like his height, weight and how "sharp" (great cognitive skills) he is

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
40. After wearing reading classes for many years, I now do not need them.
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 02:22 AM
Jan 2018

The eye doc says it is not uncommon for one's eyesight to change as get older, sometimes with good effect.
Still need glasses for long distance.
So tis possible he can read without them, and he seems to see teleprompter without them.
Might have used surgery to correct his vision.

Point being that he and the doctor are not honest about his health, so I simply refuse to believe anything they say.

cannabis_flower

(3,764 posts)
44. Maybe..
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 07:49 AM
Jan 2018

but you can have very good distance vision and still be unable to read something that is close to you. It's called being far sighted, it's usually something that you get as you get older. I've been able to avoid it but my husband has very good far sight but can't read things without reading glasses.

Botany

(70,294 posts)
47. If you can stomach it watch Trump lie boldly and act like Lester Holt is buying it
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 10:41 AM
Jan 2018


Trump w/NBC's Lester Holt count the # of lies.

joshdawg

(2,638 posts)
41. You mean to say he's a republican?!?
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 03:25 AM
Jan 2018

I'm shocked, shocked, I tell ya.
Wow, a republican who lies. Who'da thunk it?

In case it's needed

SeattleVet

(5,468 posts)
4. It wouldn't be pretty; it would be absolutely, stunningly beautiful!
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 04:22 PM
Jan 2018

It would be the most beautiful testimony we've ever seen. He's make the biggest gaffes, tell the YUGEST(!!!) lies, and weave a tapestry of falsehoods that would linger over Washington, DC for generations to come as a warning to all - 'Don't be such a narcissistic asshole!'

erronis

(14,955 posts)
8. dit-dit-dit-DAH! (I hope that spells I agree!)
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 04:49 PM
Jan 2018

This Will Be Televised.

One way or the other we'll be able to watch the perps slowly cooked in their own juices.

Of course, just like all good US citizens, we hope there is no collateral damage. No besmirching of the Ivanka brand, no onus placed on all of dumps children (legit or otherwise), no penalties against those that have already been shafted by trump/uglicans, etc.

 

Gabi Hayes

(28,795 posts)
33. Didnt that Mexican judge refuse to release his depo vid in the trump U lawsuit?
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 11:39 PM
Jan 2018

WTF was up with that?

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
5. Trump's own attorneys learned that lesson
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 04:39 PM
Jan 2018

Attorneys who have represented Trump in the past have testified at deposition that they learned not to meet with Trump one-on-one. They always had at least one other attorney in any meeting with Trump because Trump couldn't be relied on to tell the truth or to follow through on things he said he'd do.

When your own attorneys say . . .

keithbvadu2

(36,371 posts)
11. Under Oath? Not a problem for Donald
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 05:03 PM
Jan 2018

Under Oath? Not a problem for Donald

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Trump started his time in office by lying before God with his hand on the Bible.

He swore to uphold the Constitution and immediately broke that oath.

SeattleVet

(5,468 posts)
42. Well, I do have to give him the benefit of the doubt there...
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 03:26 AM
Jan 2018

it *does* state, 'to the best of my ability'.

That's his loophole.

He has absolutely NO ability whatsoever, so we can't hold him accountable for lying when taking the oath of office.

Saviolo

(3,270 posts)
13. Let's just call it the Dunning-Kruger presidency
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 05:17 PM
Jan 2018
In the field of psychology, the Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias wherein people of low ability suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their cognitive ability as greater than it is. The cognitive bias of illusory superiority derives from the metacognitive inability of low-ability persons to recognize their own ineptitude; without the self-awareness of metacognition, low-ability people cannot objectively evaluate their actual competence or incompetence.


He's so convinced of his own superiority that he feels like he can just so easily trick and fool the people around him, even under oath. It gives him a deep and abiding well of confidence, even in the face of those clearly outmatching him in intellect. That confidence that he can just get away with anything because he's just so damn smart is probably also his biggest weakness, because it'll cause him to double down, make big false claims thinking that no one will have the brains to call him out on them, and lie demonstrably under oath.

This should be fun! Oh to be a fly on the wall to watch a deeply and intensely prepared Mueller vs. falsely confident President Dunning-Kruger.

kag

(4,076 posts)
51. It is.
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 03:58 PM
Jan 2018

Every time he opens his mouth and something resembling speech spews from it, I experience intense physical pain. And perhaps it is contagious because my husband has the same reaction.

It's a reaction we haven't felt since we tried to watch the movie Swordfish in a theater. The pain was so intense that we had to walk--no, run--out in the middle; similarly whenever the cheetoh appears on our TV screen there is a mad scramble to find the remote before the excruciating, explosive diarrhea begins to spew from his vocal orifice.



Just in case:

BigmanPigman

(51,432 posts)
17. This is what I was saying yesterday too.
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 05:41 PM
Jan 2018

I was worried though that due to the shear number of lawsuits, which he had started and testified at, that he has a lot of experience. However he is older, crazier, and under stress so that is a difference from his past experiences.

I hope that Jared and the moron's spawn, who are also overly confident and feel superior and above it all, get blown away by Mueller's team. I wonder when Mueller is going to interview them, or maybe he already has and we don't know about it yet.

OnDoutside

(19,908 posts)
16. And it has also been suggested that Mueller probably has his Tax records. A nice weapon to have
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 05:36 PM
Jan 2018

going into an interview of Trump.

Brainfodder

(6,423 posts)
18. Breathtaking more like it!
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 05:50 PM
Jan 2018

Double meanings, got to love them.

Trump it occurred to me is just saying stuff on camera for the fake news to clip it and play them and only them on repeat to make their sick lazy audience angry, because that drives them to vote.

If Rupert has U.S. citizenship, but I doubt it, I'd want him arrested and executed for treason, the case should be long bulletproof.

Alas no one asked me.

Honeycombe8

(37,648 posts)
21. The interview is going to be intense for both sides. But exciting. Trump also has a temper.
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 06:14 PM
Jan 2018

Saw female attorney on tv talking about how he is during depositions. She said he loses his cool, raises his voice, and it all works...everyone in the room was afraid of him, she said.

Another time he was cool and collected & just answered questions.

It's possible he reacts harshly if he gets cornered. Bwahahahaha.

spike jones

(1,656 posts)
22. Testify, Brother, Testify.
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 06:15 PM
Jan 2018

I have heard that the word testify originated from men of old in the Bible and in Roman times, having to hold their testicles while witnessing in court. So, Trump may soon have to grab his own crotch.

trof

(54,255 posts)
25. I saw one deposition where he was asked to read something.
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 07:25 PM
Jan 2018

"Oh, I forgot my glasses. I can't read that."
Yeah, right.
And the dog ate my homework.
What a slimy bastid.

BobTheSubgenius

(11,535 posts)
30. I believe every syllable of the foregoing.
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 08:55 PM
Jan 2018

I just don't think his bosses will let him go into a hearing that vastly unprepared. I mean, I HOPE no one can dictate common sense to him, and I'm sure that his very best efforts would fall far short of their needs or wants....but they will have to try.

At the VERY least, try to mitigate the damage. I am counting on him being as intransigent, and arrogant as ever.

yonder

(9,631 posts)
31. If CodeOrange agrees to testify under oath
Thu Jan 25, 2018, 11:33 PM
Jan 2018

can his attorneys still insist all questions be prepared and agreed to beforehand? Or does testifying, by definition, only mean direct, in the moment, questioning and answering? I hope its the latter, but I don't know.

Grammy23

(5,808 posts)
37. All of the reasons that tRump will hang himself
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 01:10 AM
Jan 2018

when he is interrogated by Mueller have been listed and discussed here. And it is certain he will be interviewed. Maybe he will plead the Fifth and avoid answering anything but that takes him where he’d rather not go. Put him under oath and the drunkard’s path of disjointed, convoluted and contradictory answers are a certainty. He knows no other way to be. He may try to weasel out of the whole messy affair by digging in his heels and refusing to play ball. But that is also a nonstarter. Mueller holds all the cards in this game.

I think in the end he will meet with Mueller but at great disadvantage. His massive ego will make him over confident and unwilling to study up on anything his lawyers recommend. His go to strategy will be bluff and bluster. Mueller eats that stuff for breakfast. And his biggest disadvantage is he has no idea how much Mueller actually knows of his crimes and sins. So there could be land mines sprinkled throughout the landscape and he is too pigheaded and temperamental to recognize them.

I hope the interview is soon. Things are happening so thick and fast, we don’t seem to know from one day to the next what will be revealed. I want to know how this all ends and I want to know the whole story, not just bits and pieces. We deserve to know after all we’ve been through with tRump and his cabal.

NoMoreRepugs

(9,260 posts)
46. I think what Mueller knows and what tRump doesnt
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 09:43 AM
Jan 2018

know he knows will be the best part of the process if it comes to pass that he meets with Mueller. My fervent hope is that it turns out obstruction of justice is far from the most serious charge he may face. To me the fate of the nation hangs in the balance.

fescuerescue

(4,448 posts)
49. If his lawyers let him testify under Oath in a criminal proceeding
Fri Jan 26, 2018, 12:44 PM
Jan 2018

They are flat out nuts.

Hell I wouldn't do it and I'm nobody.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»"I've Watched Trump Testi...