Donald Trump made a lot of stunning statements during Wednesday’s interview with The New York Times, but among the most jaw-dropping came when the president threatened to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller if his investigation delves into the first family’s finances.
Mueller, of course, is leading the wide-ranging investigation into Russia’s involvement in last year’s presidential election, as well as Moscow’s ties to the Trump campaign.
Trump told the Times that if Mueller delves too deeply into his and his family’s finances, he would be crossing a “red line,” which is essentially an admission that Trump would consider trying to fire him if he doesn’t like the direction of the investigation.
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Mr. Trump said Mr. Mueller was running an office rife with conflicts of interest and warned that investigators would cross a red line if they delve into Trump family finances unrelated to Russia. Mr. Trump never said he would order the Justice Department to fire Mr. Mueller, nor would he outline circumstances under which he might do so. But he left open the possibility as he expressed deep grievance over an investigation that has taken a political toll in the six months since he took office.
…
Asked if Mr. Mueller’s investigation would cross a red line if it expands to look at his family’s finances beyond any relationship to Russia, Mr. Trump said, “I would say yes.†He would not say what he would do about it. “I think that’s a violation. Look, this is about Russia.â€
Once again, it sounds a lot like Trump is threatening those investigating him in order to influence the investigation. If the president doesn’t like the direction of the inquiry, he is suggesting that he’ll do something, although he’s not specific, to stop it or change its direction.
As Rachel Maddow also pointed out on Wednesday night, Trump’s threat to Mueller came on the very same night that The New York Times published another story essentially saying that the president’s finances are, in fact, being investigated by the special counsel.
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Maddow on Trump threatening Mueller if he investigates the first family’s finances pic.twitter.com/SNSrJuDep0
— Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) July 20, 2017
Maddow said, “The president is clearly threatening to fire the special counsel tonight if he looks into the president’s finances. The Times separately reporting tonight that Robert Mueller is looking into the president’s finances.”
It’s obvious that Trump has something to hide as he consistently demands loyalty and threatens those in charge of running the investigation. As the Russia investigation continues to rage on, the President of the United States is becoming more and more unhinged.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
