Proving yet again that President Donald Trump has absolutely no idea how the legal system of the United States works, he told former White Counsel Don McGahn that he would simply pay off Special Counsel Robert Mueller to drop the Russia probe if it got too close to the president.
That revelation comes from Michael Schmidt’s new book, Donald Trump v. The United States, which was released today.
On her show Monday evening, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow read extensive excerpts from Schmidt’s book and interviewed the author, noting:
“This is amazing. [Trump] thought he could pay Mueller, and that would make the Mueller investigation go away?”
And then Maddow laid out exactly that scenario, as relayed in Schmidt’s book:
“This is from page 18: ‘To anyone paying attention, Trump looked like he was in trouble. But he still didn’t seem to get it. Instead of taking a disciplined approach led by experienced Washington white collar defense lawyers, as Bill Clinton had done when he was under investigation, Trump had initially put together a hodgepodge legal team of undisciplined lawyers and television pundits. In the same way that he had used the tabloids in New York, he thought he could use his Twitter account to undercut Robert Mueller. Even as he intuitively sensed the danger Mueller posed to him, he still coped with that danger with bravado and arrogance, the same way he had managed banks, creditors, civil lawsuits and divorce lawyers throughout his public life.'”
Mueller continued to move closer during the Russia probe, which led the president to suggest using cash to pay off the special counsel, Maddow continued:
“At one point as the investigation seemed to be intensifying, Trump told White House counsel Don McGahn that there was nothing to worry about because if it was zeroing in on him, he would simply settle with Mueller.’ He would settle the case as if he were negotiating terms in a law enforcement. Robert Mueller was not suing Donald Trump. Why did he think he could settle the case? He thought he could pay Mueller and that would make the Mueller investigation go away?”
‘This is amazing’: Rachel Maddow reads from Michael Schmidt’s new book, which reveals that Donald Trump apparently believed he could pay Robert Mueller to drop the Russia investigation. #ctl #p2 #maddow pic.twitter.com/ce8r8Qpbln
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) September 1, 2020
Pay Mueller and that would make the Mueller investigation go away. Sounds like something a mafioso would say, doesn’t it?
Trump is clueless about everything involving the U.S. government. He’s a danger to the republic. Maybe we can pay him to go away and never show his face again. I’m willing to kick in a Franklin if someone starts a GoFundMe.
Featured Image Via NBC News
