Trump’s tweets about “witch hunts” aren’t only reflections of presidential paranoia. They are part of a deeper strategy to discredit the man investigating him for obstruction of justice.
The Hill reported, “President Trump’s legal team is zeroing-in on the relationship between former FBI directors Robert Mueller and James Comey to argue that their long professional partnership represents a conflict of interest that compromises Mueller’s integrity as special counsel. The effort to make the case about a conflict of interest around Mueller’s investigative body comes amid reports that Mueller is looking into whether Trump is guilty of obstruction of justice for allegedly asking Comey to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Trump later fired Comey.”
When a defense team looks to impune the motives of the investigation, it is sure sign of a legal fight where the evidence is not on their side. By trying to discredit the investigator, the President is attempting to minimize the damage caused by his own statements.
Trump and his White House have already used the attack the investigator trick after they fired James Comey. One of the reasons why the President is in such legal hot water today is because he tried to smear the credibility and character of the former FBI Director.
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One suspects that his lawyers are going down this path, because it is what the President wants, and it is also one of the few viable strategies open to them. With physical evidence of Trump’s statements in the form of memos, this is more than a he said versus he said case.
Trump is trying to discredit the special counsel because he still wants to fire Mueller.
If the President can’t fire the investigator, he is going to taint the motives of the investigation.
At the end of the day, it all adds up to create the impression of a guilty president who is trying to hold on to power.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
