Mueller Again Eyes Roger Stone as Trump Ends a Wild Week Msnbc
Sam Nunberg says he'due south mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore. Special counsel Robert Mueller may have other ideas.
The quondam senior campaign aide to President Trump launched a bizarre media blitz Monday in response to a subpoena from Mueller seeking Nunberg's appearance before a 1000 jury and records of years of correspondence with people associated with Trump. Nunberg spent several hours giving a series of peppery interviews that left observers questioning his mental country and sobriety. The anarchistic press tour culminated in an expletive-filled phone chat with Yahoo News in which Nunberg addressed his critics and explained what drove him to air his grievances.
"What my point is, is that I'k ill of this due south***," Nunberg said.
Nunberg could exist an important witness in Mueller'southward investigation. He was 1 of Trump'due south first campaign staffers, having been an associate of longtime Trump confidante Roger Stone. Stone is a central effigy in the allegations of collusion with Russia because of his interactions with WikiLeaks, which published emails that hackers linked to Russian intelligence stolen from Trump'south Democratic rivals.
Nunberg kicked things off with a Washington Post interview in which he disclosed that he'd been served with a subpoena and that he did not intend to comply. Nunberg afterwards repeated that exclamation in interviews with outlets including CNN, MSNBC, the website Vox, and a local New York City news channel.
Yahoo News reached Nunberg as he sped through Manhattan in a taxi after leaving CNN's studios.
"Have you lot ever seen anything like this?" Nunberg asked.
Nunberg entered Trump's orbit in 2010, when Stone was mounting i of his infamous political stunts — managing a quixotic gubernatorial bid that had a pro-pot, pro-prostitution platform. In a 2016 interview with Yahoo News, Stone said Nunberg, who was 30 at the time, approached him with some ideas for the entrada.
"He comes on a flake strong, as you know," Stone said of Nunberg. "I mean, within a week of my meeting him he was going effectually telling people I was his mentor. He'south got chutzpah, every bit they say."
Nunberg stuck with Stone, and when Trump launched his presidential campaign in June 2015, Nunberg was one of the summit advisers on a skeleton crew. He helped write many of Trump'southward early on speeches, strategy memos and tweets. He claims that he and Rock came upwardly with Trump'south signature policy proposal — the wall on America'due south southern border.
In his conversation with Yahoo News on Monday evening, Nunberg suggested his media blitz was inspired by Stone and Trump'southward smashmouth style of politics.
"Like, how ballsy is this?" Nunberg asked. "This is like Donald Trump Roger Stone. Right?"
Much of the call with Nunberg consisted of him seeking reassurance about his functioning in interviews but non pausing to mind to responses.
"Observe how I go on Goggle box and say, 'I detest Trump?'"
Nunberg and Trump have had a tumultuous relationship. The ex-aide was hired and fired past Trump multiple times earlier the ballot. In early 2014, he was ousted after encouraging Trump to cooperate with a BuzzFeed article that proved highly critical of the existent manor mogul. He rejoined Trump'southward circle and was dismissed again shortly after Trump formally began his entrada in 2015, when Business organisation Insider uncovered a series of racially charged Facebook posts Nunberg had written. In July 2016, Trump sued him for $10 million, alleging that Nunberg had violated a confidentiality agreement. Nunberg claimed that the lawsuit was settled "amicably."
During his chat with Yahoo News, Nunberg brought upward comments he had made about White House press secretary Sarah Sanders in 1 of his many Monday media appearances.
"Do you lot like how I said that she should close her fat rima oris?"
Yahoo News reached out to Sanders for reaction to Nunberg's comments. Sanders and other White House staff members did not answer to our request.
"She should stop talking s***," Nunberg said of Sanders. "They've been putting out all mean solar day that I'1000 a boozer and a drug addict."
In an interview with CNN before in the evening, host Erin Burnett told Nunberg that someone she described equally "a Trump ally" had suggested to her that Nunberg was "drunkard " or "off his meds." Burnett claimed that other CNN reporters had received like accusations about Nunberg's sobriety from sources close to the White Firm. Subsequently in their conversation, Burnett told Nunberg that she "smelled booze" on his breath. Nunberg, who has been candid near his past struggles with alcohol, said he was not drunk and had taken "antidepressants" only as prescribed.
Nunberg told Yahoo News that Stone was the principal factor behind his decision to take to the airwaves afterwards beingness subpoenaed.
"I'm doing this to defend … Roger," Nunberg said. "I'k non going to allow them only hurt Roger for no reason."
Nunberg said that he had first heard from Mueller's team in January, when they asked to interview him. He said their questions focused on Rock.
"They asked about if I knew about Roger's concern, what Roger does, which I didn't similar," Nunberg said. "I don't call back information technology'southward off-white."
Stone did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.
Nunberg said Mueller's team had too asked him "south*** about Trump." He said he had non personally witnessed any inappropriate actions by Trump during his time on the entrada, although in some of his before interviews Nunberg did say he believes Mueller has "something" on the president.
In response to a question, Nunberg acknowledged to Yahoo News that some of Mueller's questions had concerned the firing of FBI Director James Comey and a coming together Trump'due south son and other summit aides had with a Kremlin-linked lawyer in the run-up to the election.
In one of the more center-popping comments from his media blitz, Nunberg told CNN's Jake Tapper that he believes another former Trump entrada adviser, Carter Page, "was colluding with the Russians." Page did non respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.
Nunberg told Yahoo News that he was refusing Mueller's document asking because it came with an unrealistic deadline, considering the large amount of material requested. Nunberg said he had all-encompassing correspondence with former primary White House strategist Steve Bannon.
"Here's the other matter I didn't detect fair — they sent information technology to me on a Fri and they wanted it by Monday at 3 p.m. And I'yard sitting at that place, I'm trying to earn a living," said Nunberg, who at present works every bit a consultant. "What do I take to get over? … Do yous know how many emails I email with Steve Bannon? I didn't retrieve information technology was fair. Practice y'all think it was fair?"
Bannon did not respond to a asking for comment on this story.
Yahoo News asked Nunberg whether he or his lawyer had tried to go an extension on the document asking earlier he decided not to cooperate. Nunberg indicated that he hadn't pursued an extension.
"My lawyer is so pissed," he said.
Nunberg said he hadn't cleared the interviews with his lawyer and declined to say when he had last spoken to his attorney. Nunberg's lawyer could not be reached for annotate.
Nunberg denied speculation that he had been drinking or taking drugs, which he attributed to White House officials seeking to undermine him, or to his erstwhile mentor, Stone.
"Do you lot retrieve I was loftier and boozer?" Nunberg asked. "You saw the interview. What did y'all think? I'm not loftier and drunk. I was not high and drunk. What I'thou doing is what nobody else has ever done."
Yahoo News asked Nunberg to characterize his relationship with Rock.
"He ever treats me similar s***, and he hates me," Nunberg said.
Commentators made the obvious point that in the context of a serious criminal investigation, giving interviews without checking with a lawyer seemed at the very least cocky-defeating. CNN editor at large Chris Cillizza skewered Nunberg as a "D-list" political talent who is not "sophisticated."
"My response is Chris Cillizza can become f*** himself and he dresses similar s***," Nunberg told Yahoo News. "I'm not having a meltdown. In fact, I'm the first person always standing upwards for themselves."
Almost the Trump campaign and administration, Nunberg declared: "They treated me like s***."
"Didn't I say that Trump was a disloyal a**hole tonight?" he asked.
Nunberg said he's fabricated no contempo attempts to contact the president.
"I despise him," Nunberg said of Trump.
Nunberg blatantly contradicted himself at points in his marathon series of interviews with Yahoo News and others. Minutes before getting on the phone with Yahoo News, he suggested to the Associated Printing that he would about likely cooperate with Mueller after all.
However, near the end of his chat with Yahoo News, Nunberg said he wasn't worried almost Mueller having him arrested for contempt.
"He'due south not going to arrest me," he said. "Y'all know how stupid it is if he arrests me? It'll be the funniest affair. … I'll brand a spectacle out of it. No justice no peace!"
About an hr afterward, Nunberg told MSNBC's Ari Melber that he did not plan to comply with the asking to testify.
Yahoo News asked Nunberg how he thought he would fare in jail. He repeated the question.
"How would they treat me?"
Nunberg paused briefly and suddenly said he had run into someone on the street.
"Permit me talk to somebody, a friend of mine," he said.
Yahoo News could overhear Nunberg speaking to another human being, whose phonation was deadened.
"How awesome was this? Y'all ever see annihilation like this?" Nunberg asked.
Nunberg left the phone on for several minutes, transmitting scraps of his conversation. Shortly before he hung up, he proclaimed his status every bit a trending topic on social media.
"No. ane on Twitter!" Nunberg yelled.
_____
Read more from Yahoo News:
-
Democrat reiterates doubts almost Jared Kushner's loyalty to the U.S.
-
A new generation of anti-gentrification radicals are on the march in Los Angeles — and around the country
-
In exile with Neb Kristol, the Republican resister-in-primary
-
Seven days in Trumpland: Confusion, scandals and indictments
-
Photos: Nor'easter slams East Coast
Source: https://news.yahoo.com/sam-nunberg-im-not-meltdown-050200426.html
0 Response to "Mueller Again Eyes Roger Stone as Trump Ends a Wild Week Msnbc"
Enregistrer un commentaire