Trump Is Trying to End the Russia Probe by Dividing America

Trump Is Trying to End the Russia Probe by Dividing America August 6, 2017

TrumpSpeechWestVirginiaPresident Donald Trump gave a public speech at a campaign rally in Huntington, West Virginia, last Thursday. In this speech, he made his oft-repeated allegation that the Justice Department’s Russian investigation, now directed by special counsel Robert Mueller, is a “witch hunt” and a “hoax.” If there is no such guilt by Trump or his surrogates that he knows about, he would remain silent and even assist Mueller rather than resist him.

So, this is not the behavior of an innocent man, but someone who appears to be guilty. If Donald Trump and his people who worked for him in the presidential campaign were innocent of any collusion with the Russians to get Trump elected, as Trump claims, he would not be acting this way. Instead, I think such behavior indicates he and/or some of his people are guilty. Because of this, what Trump is trying do with constant attacks on the special counsel and his investigation is divide America further in order to gain enough support from voters that they will apply pressure on their elected officials and thereby cause them to support a future shut down of this investigation. Moreover, I think these continued attacks by Trump may be a preparation for him to prevent Congress from impeaching him.

To stop this investigation, President Trump must first convince Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to fire Mueller. Attorney General Jeff Sessions cannot do it because he earlier recused himself. But Rosenstein is on record saying he would not do it unless there is substantial evidence Mueller is conducting his investigation unlawfully. White House allegations that Mueller previously contributed financially to Hilary Clinton’s presidential campaign and that this tarnishes his ability to conduct a nonpartisan investigation have no bearing on this matter. Plus, Congress had voted unanimously to approve Mueller’s appointment since it so highly regards his integrity.

Still, experts say President Trump may be able to get Mueller fired even if he is conducting his investigation lawfully and thus in accordance with his mandate given him. But if this happen, then it is possible Congress could intervene and stop Trump from doing so or even begin a process to impeach him.

Donald Trump has a long history of making threats in business. In fact, he lays that out as good business strategy in his book, The Art of the Deal. But he is now a politician and president of the USA, which is quite different. He has done multiple things as president that could be cited against him as obstruction of justice regarding this investigation, especially his firing of the former head of it, FBI Director James Comey, and then Trump’s double admission that he did that to try to stop the investigation.

If Congress were to consider these facts that have already come to light and others that Mueller’s investigation may turn up before the two grand juries Mueller is now working with, Congress could consider impeachment. I think that is what Trump has on his mind so much that is causing him to behave as though he is guilty by constantly claiming Mueller’s investigation is “a hoax” and a “which hunt.” I doubt it will work.

On July 19th, in a New York Times interview President Trump warned special counsel Mueller that if he investigated Trump’s past financial dealings or that of his Trump organization, that would be a “red line,” a “violation,” that he ought not cross. As so often, Trump made such a warning without saying what he would do if this threat was not acquiesced. Experts say Mueller surely crossed that red line weeks ago.

In a May 10th post (“The Black House Is Turning Me into a Democrat“), I wrote the following: “Congress could tell Mr. Donald Trump, ‘You’re fired.’ But there is another alternative. I’m going to make a prediction: Donald Trump will resign the U.S. presidency within a year. In doing so, I think he could throw up a smokescreen, giving as the sole reason for his departure that the federal government is treating his financial empire unfairly. That is another investigation that has just begun.” In a subsequent post, I said of this prediction, “I could be wrong. It might be two years!”

 


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