« … answering to the best of his recollection. »
Will the collusion probe come down to a memory test? CNN got some inside skinny from “two sources familiar with the matter” about Donald Trump’s written answers to special counsel Robert Mueller. They report that Trump has denied knowing anything in advance about Wikileaks’ release of e-mails from the DNC and John Podesta, nor about the infamous Trump Tower meeting between Natalia Veselnitskaya and three top Trump campaign officials.
That is, Trump denies it to the best of his recollection:
President Donald Trump told special counsel Robert Mueller in writing that Roger Stone did not tell him about WikiLeaks, nor was he told about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his son, campaign officials and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
One source described the President’s answers without providing any direct quotes and said the President made clear he was answering to the best of his recollection.…
The President’s lawyers previously told CNN the answers would match his public statements. Still, these written answers could be subject to criminal charges if false.
In case you’re wondering, “to the best of my recollection” isn’t a complete defense against a perjury or obstruction charge. CNN notes that attorneys will counsel clients to preface answers as subject to perhaps fallible memory as a means of dealing with challenges to such statements. It’s a little more cooperative than “I don’t remember,” an answer which would hardly help Trump in this context.
