Trump sued me for libel in 2006 for a biography I wrote, "TrumpNation," alleging that the book misrepresented his business record and understated his wealth. Trump lost the suit in 2011, but during the litigation my lawyers deposed him under oath for two days in 2007. We had the opportunity to ask Trump about his business and banking practices, his taxes, his personal finances and his professional relationships.
Trump's attorney then was Marc Kasowitz, who also briefly represented the president when the Justice Department investigation first got rolling in Washington. My attorney was Mary Jo White, a former federal prosecutor steeped in many of the same legal traditions and courtroom experiences as Mueller. It didn't go well for the future president.
Hammered by White and her deputies, Trump ultimately had to admit 30 times that he had lied over the years about all sorts of stuff: how much of a big Manhattan real estate project he owned; the price of one of his golf club memberships; the size of the Trump Organization; his wealth; his speaking fees; how many condos he had sold; his debts, and whether he borrowed money from his family to avoid going personally bankrupt. He also lied during the deposition about his business dealings with career criminals.
Trump's poor performance stemmed in part from the fact that he was being interrogated by shrewd attorneys wielding his own business and financial records against him. But there were lots of other things that went wrong as well.
Trump is impatient and has never been an avid or dedicated reader. That’s OK if you’d rather play golf, but it’s not OK when you need to absorb abundant or complex details. Lawyers typically prepare binders full of documents for their clients to pore over prior to a deposition, hoping to steel them for an intense grilling. My lawyers did that prior to my own deposition in the Trump lawsuit. But Trump didn’t appear to be well prepared when we deposed him, a weakness that my lawyers exploited (and that Mueller surely would as well).
This is why Trump's lawyers, and friends are in a panic over Trump suggesting that he is "looking forward" to being interviewed by Robert Mueller.
It would appear that Trump's overwhelming arrogance and exaggerated confidence in his own intellect have convinced him that he is Mueller's equal.
That is clearly not true.
And I can hardly wait to see what happens when Trump comes to that realization as well.
Because guaranteed it will either be during, or immediately after his interview.
Pre-post update: About an hour before this was to post I learned that Trump's attorney John Dowd is now saying that, despite what Trump may have said, no decision has yet been reached on whether he will voluntarily agree to an interview.
Sounds like the lawyers are perfectly aware that once Trump sits down with Mueller it is game over.
We are DEFINITELY going to need more popcorn.
Source http://ift.tt/2ncTXug
