Donald Trump got James Comey alone so he could ask him to stop the investigation. That didn’t work out. He turned to Jefferson Sessions, who turned around and recused himself—something that Trump still hasn’t forgiven.
So where does the modern, Russia-colluding, fact-hiding, increasingly desperate money-launderer go when he needs someone to watch his back? He heads for someone who already covers his own back with a hard protective shell.
Trump has also clashed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for – you guessed it – not doing more to shield him from the investigation that threatens to derail his presidency.
Trump’s inability to count on Turtle Power left him sparring with the Majority Leader. Considering the number of conflicts Trump has sparked on Capitol Hill, the next Communications Director might better be titled Feud Manager.
There is one slight problem with Trump’s drive to recruit his own defense team within the government. For these people to be any good to Trump, they have to have some power over the investigation. And attempting use that power to interfere with the investigation … comes attached to a specific legal term.
if Trump pressured McConnell to intervene in senators’ investigation into the Russia affair, that may bolster allegations that the president obstructed justice.
It’s not as if Trump hasn’t been able to find some people in D.C. willing to throw themselves on his self-tossed grenades. House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes famously sacrificed every trace of respectability chasing phantoms of “unmasking” while doing his level best to derail the investigation in the House. But all Nunes got for his efforts was his own mini-recusal, an investigation that continued in the Senate, and a reputation for skulking in the White House bushes.
The failed attempt to recruit McConnell into a fully engaged member of the Trump protection team has left some continuing issues between the turtle and the Trump.
The relationship between President Trump and Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, has disintegrated to the point that they have not spoken to each other in weeks, and Mr. McConnell has privately expressed uncertainty that Mr. Trump will be able to salvage his administration after a series of summer crises. […]
McConnell has fretted that Trump may not be up to taking Republicans into the next election, a theme that fits with Democratic efforts to begin preparing for alternative candidates in 2020.
The effort, which began in late spring, covers Vice President Mike Pence, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, among others. …
Donald Trump is looking for a hero to protect him against the expanding investigation of Special Counsel Rober Mueller. Mitch McConnell is looking for a hero to protect the Republican Party against the tone-deaf ignorance of Donald Trump. They both need someone soon. Someone strong. Someone … larger than life.
Bonnie Tyler was nearby for the eclipse. Maybe they could all get together for a song.