Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said he believes that a face-to-face interview between Donald Trump and special counsel Robert Mueller is still an option for the President’s legal team.
“I still think that the lawyers actually have that on the table as something that they’re willing to do,” Scaramucci said Tuesday in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
The New York Times reported Monday that Trump’s attorneys have advised the President to refuse an interview with Mueller, partially out of concern he might incriminate himself through false statements and could be charged with lying to investigators.
“My guess is that the lawyers still have the notion and the idea of (Trump) actually testifying because I think they want to make clear to everybody … that the President has done nothing to obstruct justice,” Scaramucci said.
Trump said last month he would be willing to talk to Mueller under oath.
“You can see right then and there that he’s basically saying, ‘I’m wide open as a book, I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong, and I’m willing to say so under oath,'” Scaramucci said Tuesday of Trump’s remarks.
Scaramucci also said that Trump is “exuding his toughness” by threatening a government shutdown over border security.
“I don’t think he’s going to get blamed for it,” Scaramucci said. “I think the American people recognize that he’s taking that position out of frustration more than he’s taking that position like he wants to shut down the government and hurt the processes of government.”
As Congress and the White House attempt to broker a deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and immigration, Trump on Tuesday floated the possibility of shutting down the federal government if congressional Democrats cannot agree to stricter immigration laws.
“If we don’t change it, let’s have a shutdown,” Trump said during a White House meeting about the MS-13 gang with lawmakers. “We’ll do a shutdown and it’s worth it for our country. I’d love to see a shutdown if we don’t get this stuff taken care of.”
Scaramucci added: “He’s tough enough to not blink in a negotiation scenario with Democrats.”