Mueller Will Accept Some Written Answers From Trump

[Gothmog]

Source: New York Times

The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, will accept written answers from President Trump on questions about whether his campaign conspired with Russia’s election interference, Mr. Mueller’s office told Mr. Trump’s lawyers in a letter, two people briefed on it said on Tuesday.

But on another significant aspect of the investigation — whether the president tried to obstruct the inquiry itself — Mr. Mueller and his investigators understood that issues of executive privilege could complicate their pursuit of a presidential interview and did not ask for written responses on that matter, according to the letter, which was sent on Friday.

Mr. Mueller did not say that he was giving up on an interview altogether, including on questions of obstruction of justice. But the tone of the letter and the fact that the special counsel did not ask for written responses on obstruction prompted some Trump allies to conclude that if an interview takes place, its scope will be more limited than Mr. Trump’s legal team initially believed, the people said.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/04/us/politics/mueller-trump-russia-investigation.html

[IncaRoads]

2. He is wrapping up.

Getting answers from Trump doesn't really matter at this point, but it seems to be something he would like to do, most likely in the interest of fairness.

Also, it seems to me he is bypassing issues which would cause a delay in the delivery of his report/further indictments. Basically he is going to wrap this up ASAP.

[lark]

39. He knows they will commit perjury, even when his lawyers write out the answers

drumpf will ie to them and they will pass it on to Mueller as a response from the president and they will have him for lying to the FBI. i sure would love to read those responses,

[Fritz Walter]

3. The answers would be written in crayon

Or Sharpie.
From a petulant piece of arrested development.

Do we have to wait until his smears his words on the White House walls with his own feces?!?

Please, Mr. Mueller, end this. Now!

[BigmanPigman]

4. He will still end up wearing an orange jumpsuit.

[LakeSuperiorView]

5. Trump can write?

[Grokenstein]

18. It's an easy bet that the answers won't actually be written by TheDotard.

[bitterross]

26. He'll still have to sign them.

He loves writing his signature with that big magic marker. Gaudy - like everything else about him.

Trump will have to sign that the answers are his and are truthful.

[FBaggins]

6. Does he get anything in return? n/t

[luvtheGWN]

7. Since tRump has already lied through his tweets

I'm guessing those questions from Mueller will be a trap. If the idiot answers the way he'd like to, his tweets and his TV and radio interviews will do him in.

Mueller is not anything but way, Way clever!!! I really pity ( well, no, not really) the dumbfucks who have chosen to represent tRump.

[Gothmog]

8. From the Beat with Ari

Link to tweet

[bucolic_frolic]

9. An opportunity to commit perjury in writing

very nice indeed. OSC must be very sure of what the answers are if they will accept answers in writing. No ambiguity, less fudging in writing.

Rudy! Beware of getting what you want.

[canetoad]

29. +1

Get his lies in writing.

[barbtries]

10. he's already said so much

i doubt if Mueller needs his testimony to nail him.

[SkyDaddy7]

42. TRUE! But...

How nice would it be after all the hard work Mueller & his entire team have done if they could top it off with Trump’s sworn testimony & LIES LIES LIES.

[barbtries]

43. i think he'll have to

be acting as his own attorney for it to happen. all the others will have given up on him.

[SkyDaddy7]

44. Right!

Seriously, I was just thinking to myself I know TRUMP is a huge ASSHOLE...But how ENORMOUS of an ASSHOLE does one have to be when ALL the bankers & all but a few lawyers won’t even talk to TRUMP!

...

[bluestarone]

11. RUMP WON"T answer the questions!

His LAWYERS will!!!!

[Marie Marie]

13. Oooh I hope he turns it over to Rudy to write the answers.

[jmowreader]

12. They'll be "from Trump" but not "written by Trump"

I don't really see the point of this particular feel-good exercise. You KNOW what he's going to say: There was no collusion between his campaign and the Russians. Who are you going to believe? Me, or the photos, witness testimony, visitor logs and convictions of Trump associates who prove that there was?

Seriously, guys: To believe Trump had absolutely nothing to do with the Russians, when his entire campaign staff was basically welded to them throughout the 2016 election cycle, is also to believe Trump had no control over his campaign. Trump is known to be a micromanager, so the odds that he wasn't in charge of his own presidential campaign are very close to zero.

[Historic NY]

17. Shush...he gets quizzed on the answers later.

[BHDem53]

14. The pencil is sharpened and the Big Chief tablet is ready.

He won't use crayon because they did away with the "flesh" colored one years ago.

[SeattleVet]

24. Replaced with this?

http://r.fod4.com/s=w950,pd1/o=80/

[no_hypocrisy]

15. Interrogatories are still UNDER OATH.

Trump still subject to perjury whether oral or written when he lies.

[jcgoldie]

16. PERJURY TRAP!

Danger Will Robinson! Danger!

[MontanaMama]

21. Danger Will Robinson!

I got wine on my iPad thank you very much...

[Grokenstein]

19. Then: "I can't WAIT to go in for this interview!!"

Now: "...Can I mail it in? I's skeeeeerd."

[Gothmog]

20. From the Hoarse Whisperer

Link to tweet

[DeminPennswoods]

22. The lawyers might draft the answers,

but dollars-to-donuts, Trump will make them change the answers to comport with what he (wrongly) believes. Personally, I think written responses are better because you get to think about what you want to say and revise and edit before submitting it. There's no "I misspoke" defense.

Also, if Mueller gets in a room with Trump and gets to ask oral questions, Trump won't be able to limit himself to simple yes and no, he'll just start rambling and say who knows what.

[Maeve]

23. JUST about 'collusion', huh?

He will lie, of course...and he still thinks that if he can beat THAT rap, he's made in the shade....but 45 isn't the only one willing to provide a shiny object to distract a target.

So he gets out his crayons and starts a first draft ...meanwhile, the temperature of the pot is slowing rising to boiling point and the orange lobster will be cooked before he notices the heat is on.

[Mr. Sparkle]

25. Republicans should not be given special treatment under any circumstances.

I find this outrageous. The whole point of questioning him is to catch him in a lie, not let him give answers written down most likely with his lawyers.

[C_U_L8R]

27. This 'news' did not come from Mueller, did it?

I don't believe anything that pretends to speak for Mueller - unless it's Mueller himself (in front of a microphone or in his own official communication)

[Ccarmona]

33. My guess is Giuliani

Needed to call squirrel to get us to look away from the Kavanaugh fiasco & Woodward book excerpts

[Grasswire2]

35. EXACTLY

The NYT is quoting the Trump statements.

[Ccarmona]

28. "The Responses Will Be Translated from the Original Cyrillic"

As written by Trump’s handler.

[Cryptoad]

30. WHAT DA FUCK!

[peekaloo]

31. Multiple choice with extra wide margins for doodles.

[LiberalLovinLug]

32. I hope Mueller is not compromising along the way too much to make a strong case.

I am always reminded of the Bush Administration's demand that W and the Dark Lord had to be interviewed about 911 in a room together, without any record of it being kept.

[Grasswire2]

34. Here again, do we have confirmation from Mueller?

We have the Trump WH commenting to the NYT.

We have this: "two people briefed on it said Tuesday"

and this: "the people said"

Has the reporter seen the letter? He doesn't say so.

[lark]

40. Good point, can't trust anything the congenital liar or his lying mouthpieces say.

However, I do hope this is true. Written lies will play better in court, and you know he will lie to his attorneys, who will pass on the lies and drumpf will sign the statement, making him guilty of a felony, lying to the FBI. drumpf is so stupid, he thinks everyone is as ignorant as he, so he thinks he gets away with lying because his lawyers will pretty up the responses Nope, it's still an extremely viable perjury trap that will catch him.

[truthisfreedom]

36. Another brilliant move by Mueller. He's steering the lawyers

In tight circles now, letting them believe they have an actual position.

[Nitram]

37. Putting lies in writing is just as dangerous as having an interview.

He's calling their bluff.

[dalton99a]

38. It's a formal courtesy to the congenital liar

[MGKrebs]

41. The way I understand it, the collusion scenario will be proven with evidence.

Trump's testimony doesn't really matter for that issue.
But for the obstruction, Mueller needs to try to show his 'corrupt intent' , so an interview would be part of that due diligence.
In any case, charges of lying would just be icing on the cake, and I suspect it's pretty much automatic at this point, knowing what we know about the Idiot in Chief.