Mar 5, 2018

Ex-Trump aide subpoenaed by Mueller explains why he won't testify

In no-holds-barred interviews with CNN following news that Sam Nunberg rejected a subpoena from special counsel Robert Mueller, first reported by the Washington Post, the former Trump campaign aide explained why he thinks Mueller wants to talk to him again... and why he won't.

On the Don Jr.-Russian Trump Tower meeting: "[Trump] talked about it for a week before. And I don't know why he did this. All he had to say was yeah, we met with the Russians. The Russians offered us something and we thought they had something. And that was it. I don't know why he went around trying to hide it."

On why he thinks he was subpoenaed: "They probably want to know about Miss Universe 2013 if I had to guess... I never spoke to the president directly about it, then Mr. Trump. I was told that if you had asked him, he would lie and tell you that Putin was there. Okay, fine. I was told that that idiot had offered to send women up to Trump's room but Trump didn't want it. He's too smart for that, he didn't want it."

When asked who told him this information: "Keith Schiller." (Trump's former bodyguard.)

On what the special counsel thinks: "Yeah, they think that Roger [Stone] colluded with Julian Assange. I can tell you Roger did not collude with Julian Assange."

On how he left the campaign: "Roger [Stone] quit because he was absolutely disgusted by the way I was treated, okay? I worked for Trump for four and a half years. I came up with the wall, I came up with the Muslim ban, I came up with everything to attack Jeb Bush, all that stuff. Okay? Now Trump used it, Trump was the only one who could effectively do it."

On his views of the president: "And you know what? I'm not a Donald Trump fan, as I told you before, okay? He treated me like crap."

On why Mueller wants to speak to him again: "First of all, I -- well, actually I don't know why. Whatever they want I can tell you I'm not going in. It's ridiculous. The idea that we were the Manchurian candidate. Gloria, we were a joke. The idea that we were colluding with the Russians? Give me a break."

On whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russians: "He may. He may. And you know what? Trump may have very well done something during the election with the Russians."

Where they left it: "Yes. Mueller thinks that Trump is the Manchurian candidate... and I will tell you I disagree with that."

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