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babylonsister

(170,964 posts)
Fri May 4, 2018, 08:49 AM May 2018

Trump associate, rattled by Mueller interview, dishes about three 'frightening' hours of questioning

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/5/2/1761565/-Trump-associate-rattled-by-Mueller-interview-dishes-about-three-frightening-hours-of-questioning?detail=facebook

Trump associate, rattled by Mueller interview, dishes about three 'frightening' hours of questioning
Kerry Eleveld
Daily Kos Staff
Wednesday May 02, 2018 · 9:25 PM EDT


Former Trump associate Michael Caputo isn't even currently a subject of the special counsel probe into Russia's 2016 election interference. Yet Caputo—who has worked with former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort as well as longtime Trump confidants Roger Stone and Michael Cohen—told multiple reporters Wednesday that being questioned by Mueller's team was an unsettling experience. The Buffalo News's Jerry Zremski writes:

Michael R. Caputo underwent an intense three hours of questioning from investigators from the office of special counsel Robert Mueller in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, and the East Aurora political consultant emerged sounding shaken.

"They have every bit of information you could possibly have on the Trump campaign," said Caputo, who worked for the Trump effort in late 2015 and early 2016, in a telephone interview with The Buffalo News. "They had a lot of questions I had no answers to. At times it was kind of frightening." [...] "They remembered things I didn't remember," he said. "They remembered things I thought I did in July that I had actually done in May."


Caputo, who has dismissed the investigation as a "witch hunt," said "Every question they asked was relevant." Though the investigators never asked about Trump directly, they did ask about the roles of other key players, including Manafort, Stone, Cohen, WikiLeaks, DCLeaks, and Russian hacker Guccifer 2.0.

Caputo also told CNN's Manu Raju:

“It’s clear they are still really focused on Russia collusion. ... They know more about the Trump campaign than anyone who ever worked there.” (emphasis added)

”The Senate and the House are net fishing,” Caputo said. “The special counsel is spearfishing. They know what they are aiming at and are deadly accurate.”


Stunning.

And to The Atlantic's Natasha Bertrand on whether Trump should voluntarily agree to be interviewed:

“I have said from the beginning that the President should not sit for an interview with the Special Counsel - it’s fraught with peril,” Caputo tells me. “Today’s interview didn’t change my mind.”


Ultimately, many legal observers believe Trump won’t have a choice about being interviewed if Mueller issues him a subpoena. Unless Trump tries to blow up the entire investigation.

22 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Trump associate, rattled by Mueller interview, dishes about three 'frightening' hours of questioning (Original Post) babylonsister May 2018 OP
Always nice to start a Friday with some good news. LonePirate May 2018 #1
I love the smell of flop sweat in the morning... The_jackalope May 2018 #2
Ha ha haaa, whasssup, Michael? He made me laugh when he was yelling at the intel committee Leghorn21 May 2018 #3
Hah, at first I thought you called him Slim Shady Ztolkins May 2018 #8
Nice start to the day! :) BootinUp May 2018 #4
Direct link to the original story in The Buffalo News, which has more details: emulatorloo May 2018 #5
Thanks. He's considered a witness only and Hortensis May 2018 #13
Can they please televise the Mueller/Trump interview? forgotmylogin May 2018 #6
Oh my! Pay per view! PatrickforO May 2018 #11
"Unless Trump tries to blow up the entire investigation." - Oh, he will. erronis May 2018 #7
Be afraid. Be very afraid. Nitram May 2018 #9
You know, my most pleasant fantasy is that glorious day when PatrickforO May 2018 #10
I saw a clip last night where he described the interview rsdsharp May 2018 #12
Sorry, many legal observers are incredibly naive... Shipwack May 2018 #14
I sadly agree.... dhill926 May 2018 #15
Indeed... Wednesdays May 2018 #17
If it all gets too hot for him, he will resign not fooled May 2018 #21
I'm not surprised. I would have expected nothing less. Texin May 2018 #16
Net fishing vs. spearfishing... Grins May 2018 #18
Well, just... czarjak May 2018 #19
Trump's ego thinks he can outwit Mueller. GeorgeGist May 2018 #20
It's only "fraught with peril" if he's guilty of crimes Mr. Ected May 2018 #22

Leghorn21

(13,520 posts)
3. Ha ha haaa, whasssup, Michael? He made me laugh when he was yelling at the intel committee
Fri May 4, 2018, 09:08 AM
May 2018

and calling them “assholes” one day, then sitting meekly in a quiet space with Mr. Mueller & Co. the next!!!

Say, maybe if you all weren’t shady slimy lying traitors, your interviews wouldn’t be so fuckin “fraught with peril”, eh, Caputo? Ever think of that?

Piss off.

emulatorloo

(43,982 posts)
5. Direct link to the original story in The Buffalo News, which has more details:
Fri May 4, 2018, 09:47 AM
May 2018
Caputo questioned by Mueller's team on Russian election meddling
By Jerry Zremski | Published May 2, 2018 | Updated May 2, 2018

http://buffalonews.com/2018/05/02/caputo-questioned-by-special-counsel/

PatrickforO

(14,516 posts)
11. Oh my! Pay per view!
Fri May 4, 2018, 10:59 AM
May 2018

Absolutely.

That way the capitalists can make EVEN MORE money from the Trump presidency.

erronis

(14,955 posts)
7. "Unless Trump tries to blow up the entire investigation." - Oh, he will.
Fri May 4, 2018, 10:18 AM
May 2018

This does sound like a nice story to start the day. But that last line injected a bit of reality.

The baby boy will throw a bunch of tantrums and lash out in every way that the chief executive of this country can, along with the collusion of the repuglicons and foreign interference.

Whether that can deter the investigation and legal resolution remains to be seen.

PatrickforO

(14,516 posts)
10. You know, my most pleasant fantasy is that glorious day when
Fri May 4, 2018, 10:58 AM
May 2018

FBI agents will go to the White House and take Trump out in handcuffs.

That's just such a pleasing, positive image.

rsdsharp

(9,042 posts)
12. I saw a clip last night where he described the interview
Fri May 4, 2018, 11:02 AM
May 2018

as like going to a proctologist with really big hands.

Shipwack

(2,138 posts)
14. Sorry, many legal observers are incredibly naive...
Fri May 4, 2018, 11:08 AM
May 2018

“ultimately, many legal observers believe Trump won’t have a choice about being interviewed if Mueller issues him a subpoena. Unless Trump tries to blow up the entire investigation.”

Of course Trump has a choice about whether or not he’ll be interviewed... and given that choice, he’ll choose “no”. For this, he will suffer no consequences, at least for the near term (and probably long term, too).

Who’s going to hold him accountable?

The media? They’ll just wring their hands and “both-siderism” it, saying that Bill Clinton didn’t want to be interviewed either, so Trumps actions are understandable.

The Republican held Congress? Please. Republicans routinely put party over country. Even in the unlikely event we get -both- chambers in the midterms, we won’t have large enough majorities to Force action.

The courts? The issue might go all the way to the Supremes, and... Never mind, they’ll probably split 5-4. Even if one of the conservative members develop a conscience and votes against Trump, how will they enforce it? We’ve been down -that- road before... “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.” - Andrew Jackson
http://sustainatlanta.com/2015/04/02/remembering-the-time-andrew-jackson-decided-to-ignore-the-supreme-court-in-the-name-of-georgias-right-to-cherokee-land/

The people? Thirty percent of the population would cheer him, and another 30 percent (at least) will shrug their shoulders and go “meh”.

Sorry for being Debbie Downer; I’m just in the middle of the valley right now.

not fooled

(5,791 posts)
21. If it all gets too hot for him, he will resign
Fri May 4, 2018, 12:33 PM
May 2018

and by pre-arrangement punce will pardon him, a la Tricky Dick and Ford. Thom Hartmann just laid this out and I think it makes sense.

Texin

(2,585 posts)
16. I'm not surprised. I would have expected nothing less.
Fri May 4, 2018, 11:19 AM
May 2018

tRump is already ensnared in Mueller's net, but he just hasn't fully comprehended it yet. He's so far out of his depth (in everything here) he couldn't possibly mount a credible argument in his defense, but he doesn't get it. I actually believe he thinks he'll be able to baffle Mueller's investigators and Mueller himself with his brilliant bullshit, because he is the smartest guy that ever lived.

But all the deeply mined information in the world will make not a damn bit of difference if the likes of McConnell, Ryan and the rest of their damn cons in the congress do nothing about it, and they've demonstrated zero will to do so. I fully expect tRump to sack everyone he needs to in order to shut this down - and soon. And there will be zero consequence for tRump and Putin will proceed posthaste to rig the midterms.

Grins

(7,134 posts)
18. Net fishing vs. spearfishing...
Fri May 4, 2018, 11:39 AM
May 2018

I heard this story on NPR this AM. This line:

"The Senate and the House are net fishing. The special counsel is spearfishing."

The guy NPR was interviewing at the moment said this was Caputo's way of trying to tell the White House - "These guys aren't effing around!!!!!"

Heh-heh-heh....

Mr. Ected

(9,670 posts)
22. It's only "fraught with peril" if he's guilty of crimes
Fri May 4, 2018, 01:04 PM
May 2018

All of Trump's allies and advocates turn the knife every time they utter these sentiments.

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