Sam Nunberg Interviews

Submission 5,606

Part of a series on Russiagate. [View Related Entries]

Overview

Sam Nunberg Interviews refer to a series of interviews with former Donald Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg after he announced he would not comply with a subpoena issued by Robert Mueller as part of the ongoing Russiagate investigation. In the interviews, which took place across a series of cable news channels on March 5th, 2018, Nunberg provided several incendiary quotes, including saying he believes the special counsel has "something" on Trump, claiming they're trying to prove that Trump associate Roger Stone colluded with Julian Assange, suggesting Trump knew about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with Russian operatives for compromising information about Hillary Clinton, and insulting former Trump aide Carter Page and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. At one point, a CNN anchor asked Nunberg on air if he had been drinking alcohol that day. The interviews led to questions about Nunberg's mental stability from both Democrats and Republicans.

Background

On March 5th, 2018, former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg told the Washington Post^[1] that he would not be complying with a subpoena issued by Robert Mueller in the ongoing Russiagate investigation. Mueller had subpoenaed Nunberg for documents and communications he'd had with "President Trump; the departing White House communications director, Hope Hicks; the former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski; Stephen K. Bannon, the president’s former chief strategist; Mr. Trump’s longtime bodyguard, Keith Schiller; the former Trump Organization lawyer Michael D. Cohen; and Mr. Stone, a longtime confidant of Mr. Trump’s," according to the New York Times.^[2]

Developments

The announcement launched a day of media appearances for Nunberg in which he provided several incendiary comments relating to the Trump campaign, the investigation, and the Trump staff to cable media news outlets CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. CNN edited a compilation of Nunberg's comments into a two-and-a-half minute video (shown below). In addition to suggesting that Mueller had "something" on Trump based on question's he'd received from the investigation, Nunberg insulted former campaign advisor Carter Page and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. At one point he said he thought it would be funny if he was arrested.

Of note, at one point during the day, after the White House and Nunberg friends suggested Nunberg was "drunk off his meds" in texts,^[6] CNN anchor Erin Burnett said that she could smell alcohol on Nunberg's breath, which he denied (shown below).

By the end of the day, Nunberg changed his position and stated he may in fact comply with the subpoena.^[3]

Online Reaction

The ongoing drama of Nunberg's interviews captured the attention of social media. Twitter users shared their thoughts about the event using the hashtag #NunbergMeltdown (examples shown below).^[4]

CNN also received criticism for asking Nunberg if he was drunk on air.^[5] User @BecketAdams called the question "shitty and heartless," even if it were true. Twitter user @PhillippeReines suggested that the questioning could lead the White House to further discredit CNN and Nunberg's claims.

Coincidentally, Twitter user @TrumpInTheShark shared a video where Nunberg attended Wrestlemania XIX when he was a child and met Donald Trump (shown below).