Page:CTRL0000034600 - Transcribed Interview of Richard Peter Donoghue, (Oct. 1, 2021).pdf/71

71 Mr. Donoghue. That's true.

Ms. Cheney. All right. That's all I have got,.


 * BY :

Sorry. You'd think by now I would figure out the mute button.

Quickly going back to the request, this is the Commander in Chief. Right? This is the President of the United States, and when he says, "I would like to request, Rich, that you go to Fulton County," did you feel pressured to do that? Did you feel like "The Commander in Chief is making a request; I need to follow—we need to follow through with that"?

Tell me more about your calculus as to your ability to not pursue something that he requested?

It was clear that the President wanted us to do some of these things, whether it was going to Fulton County and make a public announcement or something like that. I personally didn't feel tremendously pressured. I have been in the government a long time. I spent many years in the Army. I am the youngest of 12 children. I have very thick skin. The DAG, similarly, I think we had a very good understanding of our organization, the organization's mission, and how we were going to execute on it.

So the President could say, you know, what he wants. I suppose it would have become a more difficult situation if he actually directed us to do things we were not willing to do. But I think I know how that would have ended. So, you know, while he clearly wanted us to do these things, I think he was careful about the way he phrased it, and we were very firm on what we were going to do and not do. And so, frankly, it didn't bother me all that much. If I had left the Department, that would be fine.

Got it. And then, in reference to Clark, did you feel like that was pressure