Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman said Friday that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is “history repeating itself,” and suggested that some administration members questioned in Mueller’s probe could be charged with perjury.
“You’ve got a dynamic here that’s different than any other criminal investigation, it’s the same thing that happened with the Watergate investigation,” Akerman said on MSNBC.
He said that the political figures who tell the truth in interviews with prosecutors could see their careers end, and for those who plead the Fifth Amendment, “it’s as good as saying you’re guilty.”
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“You’ve got people who are very politically high up in the government, to go in and tell the truth, tell them exactly what happened — you’re gone, that’s the end of your career,” he said.
“If you go in and you lie, that’s what they did in the Watergate hearings,” Akerman said. “And all those people got convicted of perjury as well as all the other crimes they were charged with.”
“You see that with [Donald Trump] Jr. going in and talking about the Trump Tower meeting, you see it with [Jared] Kushner going in and talking about various meetings. It’s history repeating itself all over again,” he said. Kushner and Trump Jr. have not been interviewed by Mueller but both have spoken to congressional committees investigating issues surrounding Russia’s attempted interference in the 2016 election.
Akerman’s comments come after The New York Times reported that President Trump wants to interview with Mueller in his probe, believing he can clear his name of any allegations against him. Trump’s lawyers have warned him against sitting down with Mueller.
The special counsel has reportedly offered to place some limits on a possible interview with Trump, including allowing Trump to submit some of his answers in writing.