Trump may soon face questions; aide refuses to answer

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump was in a roomful of lawyers, venting about unfair treatment in the media that he said had understated his net worth and damaged his brand.

It was December 2007, a decade before Trump would become president and routinely excoriate reporters for "fake news." This time, the businessman was facing a daylong deposition in his lawsuit against a journalist he'd accused of downplaying his wealth.

Had he, one lawyer wanted to know, ever lied about his real estate properties? I try not to, Trump said. Ever exaggerated? Who wouldn't, he replied.

"You always want to put the best possible spin on a property that you can," Trump explained. "No different than any other real estate developer, no different than any other businessman, no different than any politician."

That exchange and others like it could be instructive as Trump braces for the possibility of an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller's team of investigators, who are looking into potential coordination between Russia and his presidential campaign, and into possible obstruction of justice.

The Associated Press reviewed hundreds of pages of depositions taken of Trump in the past decade, including in contract and defamation lawsuits. The interviews, taken together, not only reflect his deep experience in providing sworn statements to lawyers but also offer clues to a rhetorical style that could again be on display in the event Trump is questioned by Mueller.

Though the possibility of a Mueller interview has been broached, it's not clear when such a conversation would occur, or if Trump's lawyers would work to narrow the scope of questioning or to avoid a face-to-face interrogation. Trump has said it "seems unlikely" he'll be interviewed, but his lawyers have cooperated throughout the probe, and Mueller has indicated interest in speaking with the president.

The stakes would certainly be higher than what Trump has faced in the past, and the questioning, unlike past interviews focused on real estate and business, would delve into areas outside of his life's work.

He'd almost certainly be asked about the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, a decision he's offered different explanations for, and about multiple one-on-one interactions that Comey has documented but Trump has disputed. Investigators would likely want to discuss an incomplete, perhaps misleading previous statement regarding a Trump Tower meeting Trump relatives had with Russians.

For all Trump's experience parrying lawyer questioning, it's impossible to say how he'd fare with Mueller. One attorney not part of the case, Peter Zeidenberg, said he thought Trump's disposition would make it "white knuckles the entire time."

"If you're asked a question and you don't really answer it, and you sort of go off on tangents that don't really respond to your question," said Washington defense lawyer Justin Dillon, "that might work sometimes if your questioner is not skilled enough to bring you back to the question that was asked."

But, he added, "They're not going to let the B-team question Donald Trump."