--- title: Sam Nunberg Won't Testify in Russia Probe description: A former campaign aide of Trump said he is defying a subpoena from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office to appear before a grand jury. canonical: https://time.com/5186737/sam-nunberg-testify-subpoena-arrest-trump-mueller-russia-probe/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-05T23:52:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T19:32:17.354Z article:section: Politics og:title: Former Trump Campaign Aide Says He Won't Testify in Russia Probe og:description: 'Let Him Arrest Me.' og:url: https://time.com/5186737/sam-nunberg-testify-subpoena-arrest-trump-mueller-russia-probe/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00648597340ae001/6988f3cc22fb859944e23ec8/trump-robert-mueller-russia-probe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3660 og:image:height: 2059 og:image:alt: Robert Mueller og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Former Trump Campaign Aide Says He Won't Testify in Russia Probe twitter:description: 'Let Him Arrest Me.' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00648597340ae001/6988f3cc22fb859944e23ec8/trump-robert-mueller-russia-probe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Arrest Me.' Former Trump Campaign Aide Says He Won't Testify in Russia Probe > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=20c8bcc6-dead-4e26-8f93-1bcc7f3e020c&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Mar 5, 2018 11:52 PM UTC  Special counsel Robert Mueller's team has so far spent about $6.7 million on the investigation into potential ties between Trump and Russia Special counsel Robert Mueller's team has so far spent about $6.7 million on the investigation into potential ties between Trump and Russia Charles Dharapak—AP  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Mar 5, 2018 11:52 PM UTC Legal experts say a former Donald Trump campaign aide is courting jail time with a threat that he will not cooperate with a grand jury subpoena from Special Counsel Robert Mueller. In interviews with several national news outlets, former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg said that he had received the request from Mueller’s office last Friday, along with requests for documents related to Trump and other campaign associates, but that he will not comply. In these interviews_,_ Nunberg said he was largely defying the subpoena because the documents requested were too extensive, but also noted that the special counsel’s office would want him to testify against Stone, who reportedly exchanged messages with WikiLeak’s Julian Assange during the presidential campaign. “….What they sent me was absolutely ridiculous,” Nunberg told MSNBC’s Katy Tur on Monday. “They wanted every e-mail that I had with Roger Stone and Steve Bannon. Why should I hand them e-mails from November 1, 2015?” The Special Counsel’s office declined to comment. But veterans of past investigations said that defying the order would be a disastrous legal strategy for Nunberg, who himself attended law school. Solomon Wisenberg, an attorney who worked in the independent counsel’s office for the Whitewater investigation during Bill Clinton’s presidency, said Nunberg’s defiance was “laughable,” and that it was “virtually impossible” based on legal precedent for someone subpoenaed before a grand jury to argue the the request is too broad and have that request granted. “Its a loser almost always,” Wisenberg explained of that strategy. However, both Wisenberg and Jack Sharman, who was the Special Counsel to the House Financial Services Committee for the Whitewater investigation involving President Bill Clinton, said there are avenues of negotiation Nunberg could pursue with Mueller to narrow the scope of the documents requested, even if he would not completely forego the request. But, Wisenberg said that Nunberg broadcasting his subpoena defiance would not help him in this matter. “If he thinks by acting this way its a strong negotiating position, he’s moronic,” he said. Both Wisenberg and Sharman said that if Nunberg continues to defy the subpoena, or does not reach an agreement with the Special Counsel’s office he will be held in contempt of court and jailed, either until he agrees to testify or the grand jury expires — a prospect to which Nunberg seems amenably, at least publicly. “I’m not cooperating,” Nunberg told Tapper. “If you want to arrest me, arrest me.” Later on Monday, Nunberg told MSNBC’s Ari Melber that Mueller had offered him immunity, which is when a prosecutor agrees not to pursue charges against someone in order to receive information**.** But Wisenberg said that, if thats true, that just makes Nunberg’s defiance all the more baffling. [According to the New York ](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/05/us/politics/sam-nunberg-special-counsel-grand-jury.html?smid=pl-share)_Times,_ Mueller’s office had requested documents since November of 2015 pertaining to Trump, as well as Roger Stone —who Nunberg said is his mentor–Hope Hicks, who recently resigned as White House Communications Director, Steve Bannon, the former White House Chief Strategist, Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime attorney, Corey Lewandowski and Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, Rick Gates’ Manafort’s deputy, Carter Page, another former campaign adviser, and Keith Schiller, Trump’s former longtime bodyguard.Nunberg reiterated several times on cable television that he was not a fan of President Trump. “He treated me like crap,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper. However, he conceded that after being subpoenaed, he agreed with Trump the special counsel’s office was on a mission to undermine the President. “The President’s right,” Nunberg continued in his interview with Tur. “It’s a witch hunt and I’m not going to cooperate.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5186737/sam-nunberg-testify-subpoena-arrest-trump-mueller-russia-probe/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5186737/sam-nunberg-testify-subpoena-arrest-trump-mueller-russia-probe/"},"headline":"'Arrest Me.' 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