Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s lawyer, told Chris Wallace of “Fox News Sunday” that the commander-in-chief would sit for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller “over my dead body.”
“Good luck,” Giuliani joked.
He was referencing reports the special counsel is again interested in interviewing the president in its lengthy investigation into alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election.
“I am disgusted with the tactics they have used in this case. What they did to General [Michael] Flynn should result in discipline. They’re the ones who are violating the law.”
“Over my dead body,” he concluded, describing the special counsel as “a joke.”
In addition to ruling out the possibility that Trump would agree to an interview with the special counsel, Giuliani also said the president is telling the truth about hush-money payments.
“The president is telling the truth, yes,” said Giuliani, countering the president’s former “fixer,” Michael Cohen, who told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos the president directed him to make the payments.
“The man is a complete, pathological liar,” Giuliani said of Cohen.
Cohen was sentenced earlier this week to three years in prison for crimes that involved arranging payments on Trump’s behalf to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal who claim to have had consensual sexual relationships with the president. He has denied that.
Giuliani further explained the surreptitious tape recordings Cohen made actually exonerate the president, and emphasized that in addition, hush-money payments are not crimes, according to a determination made by the Federal Election Commission in a similar case involving former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.
Early Sunday morning, Trump posted multiple tweets addressing the special counsel’s investigation, targeting both Michael Cohen and the issue of “erased” text messages from former FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.
“Remember, Michael Cohen only became a ‘Rat’ after the FBI did something which was absolutely unthinkable & unheard of until the Witch Hunt was illegally started. They BROKE INTO AN ATTORNEY’S OFFICE! Why didn’t they break into the DNC to get the Server, or Crooked’s office?” Trump tweeted, referring to the FBI’s raid on Michael Cohen’s office back in April — and referring to Hillary Clinton as well.
Remember, Michael Cohen only became a “Rat” after the FBI did something which was absolutely unthinkable & unheard of until the Witch Hunt was illegally started. They BROKE INTO AN ATTORNEY’S OFFICE! Why didn’t they break into the DNC to get the Server, or Crooked’s office?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2018
“So where are all the missing text messages between fired FBI agents Peter S and the lovely Lisa Page, his lover. Just reported that they have been erased and wiped clean. What an outrage as the totally compromised and conflicted Witch Hunt moves ever so slowly forward. Want them!” Trump also tweeted on Sunday.
So where are all the missing Text messages between fired FBI agents Peter S and the lovely Lisa Page, his lover. Just reported that they have been erased and wiped clean. What an outrage as the totally compromised and conflicted Witch Hunt moves ever so slowly forward. Want them!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2018
On “Fox News Sunday,” Giuliani also addressed the Strzok and Page text messages.
“They destroyed Strzok and Page’s texts. 19,000 texts,” he said, adding, “If he had destroyed 19,000 texts, they’d put him in jail … even though they can’t, because he’s the president.”
Michele Blood is a Flemington, New Jersey-based freelance writer and regular contributor to LifeZette.
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