Robert Mueller’s last call

| 7:07 pm EDT September 5, 2018
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Amidst the scandalous haze caused by Bob Woodward’s new book about Donald Trump’s failed White House, major news last night from Special Counsel Robert Mueller went almost unnoticed. Mueller revealed that he’s now willing to allow Trump to answer some questions in writing, if he agrees to an interview about his criminal scandals. Based on the timing, we’re left to ask if this move by Mueller may be related to the Woodward book.

One of the most revealing revelations in the book was that Donald Trump’s former criminal defense attorney John Dowd went to great lengths to convince Trump not to give Mueller an interview, saying “Don’t testify. It’s either that or an orange jumpsuit.” Clearly, Dowd believed that Trump would either get caught committing perjury or screw up and confess to his crimes, or both, which would earn him a one way ticket to prison. Then curiously, just hours later, the Washington Post reported that Mueller had suddenly made a new play to try to convince Trump to do that interview after all.

If Trump were a normal person, the revelations in this book would make him less likely to want to do the interview. After all, he was just publicly humiliated by his own attorney over his inability to survive such an interview. But when it comes to Trump, he probably sees this as a challenge. Mueller is all but saying ‘Hey Trump, your guy Dowd thinks you’re too stupid to survive an interview with me. Want to prove him wrong? I’ll even let you do part of it as a take-home test.” Moreover, Mueller is challenging Trump on this publicly, to ensure that Trump will look weak in the eyes of the public if he now refuses to take up Mueller on his generous offer.

Will this work? We have no way of knowing. But the timing gives away what’s going on here. Robert Mueller has just about finished putting together his criminal case against Donald Trump, and if he can’t get Trump to sit for an interview, so be it. But Mueller is making Trump one final offer when it comes to that interview – and he’s conveniently doing it on a day when Trump will look like a coward if he doesn’t do it. Trump is a coward – but this series of events just might push him into doing the interview anyway.