Former Trump University professor: 'Every morning I wake up and think Mueller, go question him, get him under oath'
- A former Trump University professor really wants special counsel Robert Mueller to interview the president.
- "Mueller, please, just question him," Stephen Gilpin told Business Insider in a recent interview while promoting his book "Trump U: The Inside Story of Trump University." "That's all I ask for."
A former Trump University professor says he wakes up every morning with one wish - that special counsel Robert Mueller will interview President Donald Trump.
"Mueller, please, just question him," Stephen Gilpin, a former Trump University instructor, told Business Insider in a recent interview while promoting his book "Trump U: The Inside Story of Trump University." "That's all I ask for. Every morning I wake up and think, 'Mueller, go question him, get him under oath.' ... He doesn't know what reality is. That's how I look at him now. And I was a great admirer of him."
"He's echoing the same pattern over and over and all," Gilpin continued. "I'm surprised he didn't just bankrupt America."
In his book, Gilpin, a self-described real estate expert, was dazzled by his first visit to Trump Tower. He would eventually join the now-defunct Trump University, the president's for-profit education venture, in the middle of the last decade.
Though Gilpin wrote that the venture began with honest intentions, things soon began to fall apart. The school would be shut down after five years and, earlier this year, a $25 million settlement was finalized with former students who filed a lawsuit against Trump's real estate academy for predatory practices.
Gilpin, wrote that he was highly regarded within Trump University, including in his book a scanned copy of an email Trump signed to him thanking him for doing a "great job." When the lawsuits began, he joined sides with the Trump team.
His recent book is an attempt to clear his name and reputation, which he said was damaged as a result of his time working for Trump U.
"In the beginning I was an admirer of Trump," Gilpin said. "You thought real estate empire, self-made man. ... In the beginning, I admired Trump. I actually looked forward to working with him. I loved the students."
But once the venture began to go downhill, Gilpin said it "basically destroyed my life."
He would testify on Trump's behalf, a decision he said he had to make because he wouldn't have been able to afford his own attorney for as long a period of time as the litigation would carry on for.
"I was better off casting my fate with my employer, Donald Trump, and the team and go with their attorneys they handpicked," he said. "I didn't think at the time. It wasn't a bad thing. I didn't quite understand why they were suing in the first place."
But soon Gilpin felt like Trump and his team threw him under the bus, and he provided a warning for those working in the White House today.
"For those who are loyal, let me tell you, I was that loyal servant," he said. "That loyalty is going to get you nowhere. You will be out in the street."
For Mueller, who is leading the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, Gilpin said the special counsel should question Trump "about everything that's going on" in his administration.
But does he actually think Trump would sit with Mueller for an interview?
"Never," Gilpin said. "Any attorney that allows him to testify is shooting themselves."