Trump insists any cooperation with Mueller is based on 'lies'
President Trump continued to lash out against Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Monday, suggesting that no one should cooperate with him and that those who "make up lies" deserve to go to prison.
Trump demanded jail time for his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and to lying to Congress in relation to his work with Trump. Trump insisted that Cohen, who has reportedly spoken with Mueller's team for over 70 hours, "makes up stories," adding that he "lied for this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete sentence."
Not long after, Trump offered a very different assessment of political consultant Roger Stone, who said Sunday he will never testify against Trump because he would have to "make things up" to do so. Stone, Trump wrote, is "essentially stating that he will not be forced by a rogue and out of control prosecutor to make up lies and stories" about him. The president added that Stone has "guts!" CNN's Manu Raju observed that Trump is offering a "big signal here" that he could pardon Stone and is "encouraging him not to cooperate." Meanwhile, George Conway, White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway's husband, suggested this tweet is example of witness tampering.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump's tweetstorm continued as he wrote that Mueller is "a much different man than people think" and does not "want the truth," only "lies."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Alaska faces earth-shaking loss as seismic monitoring stations shutterIN THE SPOTLIGHT NOAA cuts have left the western seaboard without a crucial resource to measure, understand and predict tsunamis
-
10 great advent calendars for everyone (including the dog)The Week Recommends Countdown with cocktails, jams and Legos
-
How could worsening consumer sentiment affect the economy?Today’s Big Question Sentiment dropped this month to a near-record low
-
Trump pardons 2020 fake electors, other GOP alliesSpeed Read The president pardoned Rudy Giuliani and more who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss
-
Supreme Court to decide on mail-in ballot limitsSpeed Read The court will determine whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day
-
Democrats split as Senate votes to end shutdownSpeed Read The proposed deal does not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, the Democrats’ main demand
-
USDA orders states to ‘undo’ full SNAP paymentsSpeed Read The Trump administration is telling states not to pay full November food stamp benefits
-
Senate takes first step to end record shutdownSpeed Read Eight senators in the Democratic caucus voted with Republicans to advance legislation to reopen the government
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
