Trump’s New Legal Plan: Use The Media

May 07--WASHINGTON -- After a rocky start, President Trump and his newly reshuffled legal team unveiled a fresh legal strategy for determining if Trump will sit with special counsel Robert Mueller: Negotiate through the media.

And former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the man tasked with carrying out the public negotiation, made clear that if he were making the call, Trump would not sit for an interview Giuliani says will be a "trap."

"He's the president of the United States," Giuliani said yesterday on ABC News' "This Week," indicating that the president could assert his Fifth Amendment right not to testify -- or even defy a subpoena if Mueller issues one.

What would happen if Trump rebuffs a Mueller subpoena compelling his testimony is an open legal question -- one likely to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to decide. That move would further stretch out the conclusion of Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling, potential Trump campaign coordination and possible obstruction of justice.

Last week The Washington Post reported that Mueller had not ruled out wielding his subpoena power if Trump doesn't testify voluntarily. Trump said he would be willing to sit with Mueller -- but yesterday Giuliani signaled to Mueller that he was "undermining" that possibility.

"Jay (Sekulow) and I said to ourselves, 'My goodness, you know, I hope we get a chance to tell (Trump) the risk that he's taking' " if he does talk to Mueller, Giuliani said. "So he may testify. And we may actually work things out with Bob Mueller, because working with him directly is good."

But, Giuliani added, that option will be off the table "if they keep undermining it."

The new strategy came after a rocky start last week for Giuliani as part of Trump's legal team. In a series of media appearances, Giuliani echoed Trump's denouncement of the investigation as politically motivated as well as his denials of collusion or obstruction. But in the process he also potentially added to Trump's legal problems by contradicting his reasoning for firing former FBI Director James B. Comey, and admitting that Trump reimbursed former attorney Michael Cohen for a payment he made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Trump, after telling reporters last week that Giuliani would "get his facts straight," met with Giuliani yesterday. The result: Giuliani will remain the public face -- and voice -- of Trump's legal defense.

"We've made a deal this weekend: He stays focused on North Korea, Iran and China and we stay focused on the case and we'll bother him when we have to," Giuliani told the Post after meeting with Trump at the president's Virginia golf club.

___

(c)2018 the Boston Herald

Visit the Boston Herald at www.bostonherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.