Lawyers representing White House aides are trying to break the cult like demand for loyalty that Trump places about the truth by warning them that the President can’t protect them from criminal charges if they lie to Special Counsel Robert Mueller about the Russia scandal.
Politico reported:
Several of the lawyers representing current and former aides told POLITICO they’re actively warning their clients that any bonds connecting them to Trump won’t protect them from criminal charges if federal prosecutors can nail them for perjury, making false statements or obstruction of justice.
“What I always tell clients is you can’t protect anybody. You can only hurt yourself,†said a lawyer representing a client involved in the Russia probe. The attorney added that any overt attempts to protect Trump will raise wider suspicions of a cover-up, making matters “worse for everybody.â€
“Efforts to concoct a story to protect somebody are almost inevitably doomed to failure,†the attorney explained. “All you do is create liability to yourself that didn’t exist before.â€
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The three potential charges listed above are very important. President Trump is already under investigation for potentially making false statements and obstruction of justice. Trump has built a cult like culture around his inner circle that demands one sided loyalty to him, but the rubber is beginning to hit the road, and it will be interesting to see how many of these people are willing to take the fall for this president.
Efforts to protect Trump are doomed to fail. If there is a cover-up, especially on the obstruction of justice investigation related to the firing of James Comey, it involves quite a few people. Someone is going to talk. Plus, Mueller already has the original draft of the letter firing Comey. He may already know that Trump fired Comey to obstruct justice. The worst thing that any of these White House aides could do is follow Trump’s lead and lie.
Trump may be promising pardons, but a pardon can’t save these aides from facing criminal charges. Trump’s wall of protection is crumbling, and if those involved aren’t talking already, it sounds Robert Mueller is making progress and adding pressure on Trump.
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
