Trump, and the "perjury trap".

[guillaumeb]

After watching Rudy Giuliani humiliate himself once again this morning, as he desperately calls out for attention and relevance, I heard him say that Trump would be entering a perjury trap if Trump were to testify.

The real issue is that Trump lies about everything, so any perjury trap would be a trap of his own creation. Because Trump is a lifelong crook and con man, he generally must lie about everything to everyone.


I represented people for over 30 years as a union representative, and I always told people to tell the truth because it is what happened. If one decides to lie, that lie might be contradicted after the telling, and then the initial story must be revised to fit the truth that was revealed.

And we have seen this happen repeatedly in the Trump saga as he or his various spokes-liars have to continuously revise and recraft.

[MineralMan]

1. Having told the truth always is a perfect defense against perjury.

Trump does not even know what is true.

[guillaumeb]

3. He may not.

Or, he may feel that he is smart enough to fool everyone.

I believe that his court experience has been limited to civil matters.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. Fragile Ego on display.....

Is what Trump is and Mueller knows that.

[guillaumeb]

4. And Mueller is not a recent graduate of law school.

All of his experience dealing with crooks and liars is serving him well.

[Wellstone ruled]

7. And we have to remember,

Team Mueller has dealt with some of these same players in the nineties.

[guillaumeb]

15. And Trump no doubt also remembers.

Explaining his hysterical reactions.

[Wellstone ruled]

44. Key Guy would be Don's Swindle Partner Sater.

[Sneederbunk]

5. Liars tend to be perjury traps.

[guillaumeb]

6. Liars walk around in a perjury trap.

Trump has been in one for most of his adult life, starting with the lie about the heel spurs.

[world wide wally]

8. Any person with at least one ear and half a brain is a perjury trap for Trump

[guillaumeb]

16. Luckily for Trump, many of his followers

are disqualified.

[marylandblue]

9. To commit perjury, you must know you are lying

I've watched his depositions on video. He doesn't really. 2a!!He says a lot of things that implausible. He doesn't remember, he would remember because he has a great memory, he never read the document, he feels this way or that way, the law says he can do it, an so on.

An example of how it might go
Mueller: Why did you fire Comey?
DT: He was doing a bad job.
M: Why?
DT: Everybody said so.
M: What did they say was bad?
DT: Read Rosenstein's memo.
M: What did it say?
DT: He was doing a bad job.
M: Specifically.
DT: I don't remember. As President I get a lot of memos blah blah.
M: Did it have to do with Russia?
DT: I don't remember but people said that.
M: You said it.
DT: I was just saying what people said.
M: Who.
DT: I don't remember, I talk to a lot of people, but it was a lot of them....

See. 100% BS and not a provable perjury there.

[guillaumeb]

17. But if Trump makes specific statements, and he has,

or denies specific things, and he has, and those things conflict with what Mueller knows, making the statements is perjury.

Unless he is going to use the "I am an idiot" defense, or claims some type of cognitive disorder.


His refusal to release financial information, his known ties to Russian and Chinese oligarchs, and his association with known money launderers will make the "I am an idiot" defense difficult.

[marylandblue]

32. He does in fact use the "I am an idiot" defense

I am sure he will be accused of crimes, but I don't expect perjury will be one of them. Rather, there will be ample evidence from other sources that he knew exactly what he was doing, and it will be up to a jury or Congress to decide if he is an idiot. I do think you can be impeached just for idiocy, but lawyers might disagree.

[MiniMe]

10. It's not a trap, unless you lie

So is Giuliani saying that tRump will lie if he testifies?

[GoCubsGo]

13. It's not perjury unless you lie.

The "trap" is actually forcing a guilty person to either admit guilt or lie about it. The fact that they're making such a stink about a so-called "perjury trap," with regards to making Trump testify, is a clear signal that this is exactly the situation he's facing. If he wasn't guilty of anything, there would be nothing to trap him into. There would be no need to worry about being caught in a lie. They're trying to make a guilty man look like a victim here.

[guillaumeb]

19. Exactly. And they are trying to confuse the voters.

And the corporate media treats Trump's lies as legitimate arguments.

[guillaumeb]

18. I cannot answer for Giuliani.

I think Giuliani is trying to confuse the voters. But if the evidence suggests that Trump has been bribed by Putin, Trump must lie or admit to the truth of everything that he has denied.

[yonder]

34. Perjury trap is an oxymoron, with highlight on the MORAN

Trap implies an unknowing or unaware victim. The only victims here are the American people, trapped for now by a peculating prick.

[sky rot]

11. His mouth is a perjury trap.

[guillaumeb]

20. Welcome to DU.

I agree.

[sky rot]

43. Thank you.

[PJMcK]

30. Now that is the way to begin a posting history on DU!

Keep it up, sky rot.

And welcome!

[sky rot]

42. Thanks!

[marble falls]

45. It didn't last very long, he'd been shown the door earlier Sunday as rug.

[PJMcK]

46. Oh, well

Easy come, easy go...

[GoCubsGo]

12. It's just more of their "victimhood" nonsense.

Everyone that is not one of his cult followers knows he's a criminal and a congenital liar. And, the cultists are the ones they're playing to here. This talk of a "perjury trap" is only spin to make the flying monkeys believe that big, mean Bob Mueller is trying to trap poor, innocent Donald into something he's not guilty of doing. It only makes sense to them. To everyone else, the whole notion of a "perjury trap" is a crock of shit. You either lie or tell the truth. If you aren't guilty of anything, the truth will set you free. Trump is likely trapped, period. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. Trying to pass himself off as Mueller's victim isn't going to work with the sane 2/3 of the country.

[guillaumeb]

21. Very well said.

And Trump knows that he can fool a segment of voters all of the time. And the GOP will continue to use the Trump tool as long as he does what they want him to do.

[DownFromTheMountain]

14. The word-smithing! Like "Ethics Waiver"

Pure Non-sense!

[guillaumeb]

22. Welcome to DU.

It is creative nonsense, designed to fool those who want to believe.

[janx]

25. Yes. That is Guiliani's job now.

Hold on to the "base" at all costs. To me he comes off as desperate and stupid, but maybe he does not appear that way to everyone.

[guillaumeb]

27. The Trump base want to believe.

And Trump knows that Ryan and McConnell are spineless puppets for the 1%.

[madville]

23. He's just going to plead the 5th Amendment if forced to appear

Looking at it from their point of view he has nothing to gain and everything lose by answering the questions of federal prosecutors or in court under oath. He knows he is safe from an impeachment conviction in the Senate.

If I had to bet I think he will pardon everyone after the midterms.

[guillaumeb]

24. Trump has said that pleading the 5th is an admission of guilt.

And yes, the con man has everything to lose. As does the country.

[madville]

26. He's wrong about that like everything else

It is not an admission of guilt and he will use it if he has to regardless of what he has said in the past. It's not like he hasn't flip flopped on every other opinion he has ever had.

[greymattermom]

28. I always wonder, and maybe someone with legal experience can clarify

If you make 2 contradictory statements under oath, can you be charged with perjury without the judge knowing if either statement is true?

[guillaumeb]

29. Perhaps a DU lawyer will weigh in on this. eom

[SummerSnow]

37. I read this definition.....

Perjury is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing,


So in my opinion, 2 contradictory statements are 2 lies

[gibraltar72]

31. I can no longer speak to my wife. It might be a perjury trap.

[guillaumeb]

36. Very nice. eom

[Takket]

33. "My client cannot be interviewed because he might lie"

i'll remember that one in case i'm ever in trouble with the law. i'm sure the DA will go easy on me.

[guillaumeb]

38. As long as you say that, you cannot be prosecuted.

No need for an attorney.

[SHRED]

35. It's his plan to lie

Just like the Nazis.

[guillaumeb]

39. That has been his life plan.

So far, he has escaped any consequences.

[former9thward]

40. I was also a union representative before I became an attorney.

It is two different worlds. I would never advise a client to talk to a U.S. Attorney. In my view any attorney who advised otherwise would be irresponsible. A U.S. Attorney can manipulate statements and all they have to do is convince a jury. Their skills are far superior than any jury member.

[guillaumeb]

41. Agreed.

My advice, for the same reason, was to never agree to an interview with the USPS Inspection Service. But Trump is a liar, and a liar can never tell the truth.

At this point, Trump has given so many versions of so many stories that he could not speak with Mueller.

I am confident that Mueller will build a case if there is one to be built.