Donald Trump's ploy is to harass Robert Mueller, possibly to get him to drop the investigation. It won't work this time, Donald. Your goose is cooked.
4
Trump should be using executive time paid for by the tax payer to take care of the country and not promote his personal business, watch TV several hours a day, sue the porn star, tweet vulgarity and make tax payer paid trips almost every weekend to Florida. May be paying little attention to his own family will help too.
6
diGenova succeeded in keeping Jonathan Pollard behind bars for decades. Trump's right wing Jewish donors have long memories, too, I suspect.
1
The public should offer to build Trump a grey bar hotel in Washington and call it Trump Towers. Since his favorite color is orange, he would love the jump suits that are provided free of charge.
1
What do you mean "little evidence has emerged" that there was "deep state" group in both the FBI and DOJ that was plotting to falsely charge Trump with a crime?
How about Struck and the "insurance policy?" The "fake Russian dossier bought and paid for by the DNC and Clinton? How about the hiring of Mueller? How about the FBI's firing of McCabe for lying under oath?
Methinks you better wait on the DOJ's report.
I'll make SURE I mention this quote when they do.
1
WOW! He really looks old. I bet if a rainstorm plastered down his hair and we all saw his bald spot he'd look even older. Oh, and where's his flag pin. Not that wearing one makes him a patriot, but it's part of the GOP uniform, Looks like Trump is slipping.
1
"I hire only the best." Clearly in the latest example, the refusal of Ted Olson to join Trump's imploding legal team, it's a matter of "the best" wanting nothing to do with this Fake President.
6
Trump considers re shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic
4
Mr. Theodore Olson was asked to come on board the Trump legal team.
Mr. Theodore Olson said "No".., and when asked why (?).., responded "no Comment".
Hopefully.., a sign that not everyone associated with The Republican Party is a mindless zombie.., like those zombies in "Night of The Living Dead".
4
I have not read all of the comments that have been posted here, but I'd ask: are the American taxpayers being saddled with the cost of paying for Mr. Trump's legal defense?
1
No. He doesn't qualify for free legal aid because he's fabulously rich. Ya know, I hope he hires a bunch of lawyers and that they cost him a whole lot of money. "I love all people, rich or poor. But in those particular positions, I just don't want a poor person."
3
Notwithstanding his comments yesterday, apparently Trump is not satisfied with his legal team. Not even 50 lawyers will be able to save the most corrupt President in the history of the United States. Make America Great, impeach Trump.
5
Mr. Trump cannot find a magic bullet for a simple reason: he is guilty of obstruction of justice if not worse. No lawyer can make that go away, nor can they erase the testimony of Gates and others who are getting deals. Trump's belief that he is smarter than everyone else will be his undoing--and I hope it's soon.
7
Trump can make all of the assurances he wants that he is not going to fire his attorneys, I hope they are aware enough of his history to realize that they have all but been replaced in Trump’s mind. They might as well resign. When Trump states publicly that your job with him is safe, that is usually an indication that he is finalizing hiring your replacement.
2
How can diGenova not have a conflict of interest in representing Trump when his wife and law partner, Toensing, is representing other clients involved in the Russian collusion who could potentially testify against Trump?
17
Great piece. Not so great for our country.
5
I am a criminal defense attorney. There is no way if Trump was my client that I would allow him to talk to Mueller. If Trump insisted on doing so, he'd have to do so while represented by another lawyer.
In federal prosecutions, it is extremely dangerous to talk to federal authorities. People regularly receive lengthy sentences for lying about a small matter. Trump is unable to answer questions for a few hours without lying.
I'd advise him not to talk with the feds even if Trump was innocent.
1
ThatJulieMiller's excellent post talks about how President Trump's ego issues prevent him from hiring and keeping the excellent legal help he will be needing. Julie, wait a minute, it's better than that. How about being in this kind of jam and firing your lawyer so you can hire a totally new guy out of the blue whose main qualification is his assertion that he has this cool conspiracy theory that would explain the whole thing. And that's what the President of the United States just did! If someone needs a good lawyer they should do as Julie advises, and hire the best. Or, better yet, keep the lawyers you have, since they don't need to start fresh. And, if you feel you need someone to provide you with conspiracy theories, that's a bit strange, but OK, maybe bring on a conspiracy theory guru to help with that. But dude, these are two different specialties!
Can you imagine this thing advancing to the point where the President’s lawyer gets in front of a really serious tribunal where he need to be really good, and he starts out by saying, "To begin with, let me tell you about my fascinating conspiracy theory."
4
The lede is buried and I can only guess it's because you want to maintain access... Also, you should've stated that Erik Prince is the brother of Betsy DeVos.
3
Trump is clearly behaving like a guilty man, not only losing control of his administration, but proving that he likely was never in control of his 2016 campaign; so never in a position to know that there was no collusion between his campaign handlers and Russian interests. He knows he's a puppet, which makes the narcissist a desperately embarrassed man.
10
"Magic Bullet" Lawyer Theory?" Here's another one.
First you hire classy lawyers and say "see my classy lawyers".
Huff, huffity huff, procedure and stuff
And you stall.
Then you hire the tenacious mercenary lawyers.
Growl, growlity growl, shameless but who cares
And you stall.
Then you file Chapter 11 and show your creditors that they are bargaining against themselves.
You walk away and start again. Elsewhere.
Cue the "centrist pardon apologists" in 3..2..
This is just what the guy does? Right?
3
One may only enjoy seeing the sanctimonious likes of Jay Sekulow in the throes of finding out that he's not special at all, and that apparently Jesus doesn't have his back on this one.
4
Chaos rears its head once again in the Oval Office.
Trump's latest tearing at his hair is to reshuffle his growing legal team.
The latest added to the roster has " ..... pushed theories on television that Mr. Trump was framed by the F.B.I."
Also there is the lawyer who claims "that the F.B.I. and the Justice Department had manufactured evidence against Mr. Trump to aid Hillary Clinton".
What better way for a lawyer to build a resume that would immediately get the attention of Trump. Indeed to Trump it is the FBI that is the real worm in his apple.
How quickly can these lawyers be hired to bring new and useful views to the table.
Could it possibly be that Trump himself is now being manipulated.
(Actually not a difficult task if one thinks about it. What goes around comes around.)
Trump is slowly evolving into the role of the proverbial "sucker" that we can count on to be "born every minute".
It would indeed be ironic if some entity has hired Cambridge Analytica to profile Trump in order to manipulate and to direct his behavior.
Trump has become a "useful idiot" for some group, organization, country, or dictator who needs to build a team of like-minded persons to cement control of the world at large.
Let us hope the FBI, CIA, DOD, NSA, and even the DOJ are beginning to catch on to this likely scenario.
Of course the GOP will be the last entity to figure it all out.
The only answer is impeachment.
Get on the ball and on the problem GOP or you go down with him.
3
Would we have permitted President Obana to act like this?
Or President Clinton?
Or President Reagan?
Or anyone?
8
I have been asking the NYT to please report on the dozens, if not hundreds, of lawyers that Trump has surrounded himself with over the past several decades.
I think that
"Tools of Trump’s Fixer: Payouts, Intimidation and the Tabloids
By JIM RUTENBERG, MEGAN TWOHEY, REBECCA R. RUIZ, MIKE McINTIRE and MAGGIE HABERMAN, FEB. 18, 2018"
was a good start.
But that was only about one of the worst, Michael Cohen, who has been noticeably repulsive from the beginning, even defending Trump's late 90s raping of Ivana with:
"Of course, understand that by the very definition, you can’t rape your spouse. It is true,” Cohen said. “You cannot rape your spouse. And there’s very clear case law.”
We should have a list of all these low-lifes available just as a window to how dirty Donald really is. Because he has much of his dirty work done for him, which is why he thinks he can get away with his claims of "no collusion" which he has now defined as, "No phone calls — I had no phone calls, no meetings, no nothing. There is no collusion," during his recent presser with Jeanine Pirro.
And maybe among them there is at least one who is contrite enough, old enough or patriotic enough to not be afraid to spill some beans.
7
Theres "little evidence" the FBI and DOJ tried to frame Trump for a false crime??? Really? Theres no evidence Trump "colluded" with Russia regarding the election but no fairminded person would say that FBI using Clinton/Obama contracted pee dossier wasn't an effort to frame Trump. The pee dossier accused Trump of terrible things and the FBI wanted to pay Steele to get more dirt on Trump, without having verified any of the original terrible things Steele claimed his sources told him.
Theres probably a lot more to the story and its worse than we know now. Known Clinton operatives Sidney Blumenthal and Cody Shearer ran stories through the State Department that also went into the Steele dossier. Are the top people at the FBI and DOJ going to claim they were naive and Steele tricked them?
Theres a new poll out that only 28% approve of Mueller and another new poll that a majority of Americans believe there is a "deep state." The manufactured "Russia Collusion" story has done a lot of damage to public trust in government.
1
Only a man with something to hide would mount this type of defense. If it quacks like a duck.
5
Trump can move all the chairs around on his little WH Titanic all he wants - but this ship of state looks like it's heading for the bottom of the ocean.
This corrupt, vulgar, ship of state can't sink fast enough for me.
6
The lying, vulgar con man is terrified. A weak, cowardly traitor who hides behind Twitter and has sex with porn stars while his wife gives birth. Is this really who you wanted as your Presdiebt, Evangelicals and Trump Country, USA?
5
“They are doing a great job.”...... in Trump world, the kiss of death.
4
As soon as his shady business dealings get subpoened, he moves in to crush the investigation.
How dumb would you have to be to think that is a coincidence?
5
Trump is such a child he thinks the people on Fox News know what they are talking about and are real experts! He believes them with the same innocence that a small child believes the guy with a white beard and red suit in the mall at Christmas is Santa. He IS his lowest common denominator voter!
I often think of the absolute contempt with which Mueller and his team of true experts must regard this sick joke of a man. Trump is the anti-Mueller, right down to the phony bone spurs.
4
Your article says "little evidence" supports DiGenova's theory that the FBI and DOJ worked to frame Trump. Does that mean there is some evidence? If so, what? I'm sure your readers would like to know. Otherwise, you should have written "no evidence."
3
Where, oh where, have you gone, Roy Cohn?
1
Time to replace "Hail to the Chief" with "Entrance of the Gladiators":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLegSgWi0cI
2
ORWELLIAN POLITICS: “The Ministry of Peace concerns itself with war,
the Ministry of Truth with lies.”
George Orwell’s book “1984”
DiGENOVA: “Everything we have seen from all the facts developing, shows that the FBI and senior DOJ officials conspired to violate the law, and deny Donald Trump his civil rights.
The motive would be that they didn't like Donald Trump, they didn't think that he was fit to be president.”
Jan 23, 2018: Joe DiGenova, Trump’s lawyer, interviewed by Tucker Carlson-FoxNews.
3
“'There was a brazen plot to illegally exonerate Hillary Clinton and, if she didn’t win the election, to then frame Donald Trump with a falsely created crime,'” he said on Fox News in January. He added, “'Make no mistake about it: A group of F.B.I. and D.O.J. people were trying to frame Donald Trump of a falsely created crime.'
"Little evidence has emerged to support that theory."
Please explain what little evidence has emerged. Offhand, I would say there was none, but I could be wrong.
3
So, here is an agent watching the "President" attack the integrity of his bureau and humiliate senior leaders. Now, he is called upon to help in the investigation. Will he eagerly or reluctant comply? One can be arrogant or stupid and manage to get by. Trump is both and it's only a question of time.
2
I thought Trump was going to balance the budget and reduce the national debt. These legal costs may be a very, very small part of the US deficit but, hey, we have to start somewhere, right?
2
I will be brief: Our president is a stooge of Mr. Putin. He is betraying the best interests of our country. He has acted to hollow out practically every important department of our government. His lackies in the House and Senate are no better and all of them should be removed from office in the United States government. Every day that goes by our situation grows worse. The rule of law is being destroyed by him in every way possible. His appointed thugs have had to leave office thrust out by T's volatile behavior certainly bordering on insanity. Even this paper is afraid to point out the obvious.
8
Which explains why he increased the Russian sanctions and supplied the Ukraine's with the weaponry that Obama denied them.
You can rearrange Moe, Larry, and Curly any way you want but they're still going to be Moe, Larry, and Curly, and as big as they ever talk they'll still be The Three Stooges.
5
The swamp thickens and the stench rises as Atty (and I use that term loosely) diGenova enters the White House gates.
4
After listening to some of Trump's lawyers, I belief that not even one of his lawyers gets a straight and truthful answer from Trump. They can't even discuss defensive tactics with him because he still doesn't understand the meaning of the word collusion and he dare not even think of obstruction of justice. Since Trump finds it impossible to tell the truth, why would we think that he levels with any of his lawyers, even Michael Cohen? Impossible!
4
The nation should be seriously concerned when Trump's personal legal team is about to be as big as his current cabinet.
The biggest irony is that Pence, McConnell, Ryan and republicans members in Capitol Hill -who would have cried bloody murder at slightest hint of misgiving by democrats -seem to feel nothing about blatant abuse of power by the worst president ever.
6
lawyers like the one in the picture they should be jail or corruption like his client
Trump is a six-yr-old who thinks he doesn't need his parents. With nuclear codes.
5
I am seriously sick for our country. There is a good chance that these events (i.e., the current administration and related enablers) will go down in history as fatal to our democracy. Please let's get this person out of the WH. And vote.
4
Every time Trump let's fly with an anti-Mueller tweet or some nonsense about Hillary and the last election he digs himself a deeper hole.
It's almost as if he has to try to convince himself that "THERE WAS NO COLLUSION".
Maybe he's just angry that he's got the mid-terms and 2020 in front of him and his buddies Xi and Putin escaped that mess.
General Kelly can't you get him to shut up? Buy him a case of Playdough or a Slinky for our sake.
This never ending redundant news cycle is exhausting us one and all!
2
Editorial Correction: There is NO evidence of a FBI/DOJ group attempting to frame Trump. So let's get that straight.
6
Consider the client: Donald Trump. Without his enablers his record is abysmal (banks, tv producers, Russian oligarchs). Of course he is steering the ship right into the hurricane. His argument on its face is ridiculous: Clinton “framed” him. Or that she was spared my the FBI. The fact is BOTH sides were being “helped” (Cambridge Analytica?) and she got more votes in enough places make her lose! Trump has no play here BUT to fire Mueller. That speaks to his stupidity and bravado. Trump will go down as the most challenging President the Constitution has ever encountered. But that’s only if the rule of law is still a viable thing in this country. Who knows?
More Weapons of Mass Distraction!
Problem is, the more this Perp is cornered, the more likely he is to use real Weapons of Mass Destruction.
So, Trump voters: Are you tired of winning yet?? What exactly have you won? Absolutely nothing!
4
Let him reshuffle to his heart's content. He's still dealing from the bottom of the deck.
2
What could go wrong with Trump hiring Joe diGenova as one of his lawyers? Joe is a perfect fit for the President's predilection to see conspiracies everywhere. The American people need to see Trump follow the rabbit hole down as far as possible to see the inevitable conclusion to Trump's presidency in impeachment.
8
Maybe Trump will find a lawyer who will flatter him into thinking he’s made America great, so he can just quit like Palin did and rest on his laurels. One can hope.
6
Mr. DiGenova loves himself. Check his background. It's so appropriate Trump would hire this guy. He goes on Fox News and makes a claim about how the FBI, Department of State and Department of Justice conspired to manufacture evidence that Trump committed a crime and provides not one fact that contains substance. Of course Trump would hire him. We don't need no stinking facts. All we need is McConnell, Ryan, Nunes, Hannity and this guy DiGenova to keep running interference for Trump and to continue their attacks on Robert Mueller in their pathetic attempt to discredit his findings before his investigation has even been completed. And of course this is because Trump is so innocent. These are clearly the actions of an innocent man.
The entire affair is a dog and pony show and Trump and his enablers will, if allowed, reduce our democracy to ashes. And the man-child and his supporters will think this is all a big win. Because isn't this the most important thing? Winning?
We're into this administration for fourteen months and it seems like fourteen years with each day's news coming out of the White House vomiting inducing.
I wonder if the Trumpista's are as tired of winning as the rest of the country and the world for that matter.
And they were all so worried about Hillary. Hysterical.
11
The FBI conspiracy defense is a huge deflection, but very difficult to prove it does NOT exist. That's the beauty of it, no matter what facts Mueller brings to light, no matter how solid the evidence, the hardcore Trump supporters can cling to the fantasy of everything being false because there was a "conspiracy". Once that idea is implanted, you can say that evidence was planted, so no evidence matters. Trump could refuse to leave office, even if convicted in the Senate, because he was "framed".
We can't let this lunatic ruin our country. Please, congressional Republicans, escort him to the door.
7
Re-arranging deck chairs on the Titantic?
4
I will volunteer to take charge of his legal team. I am as qualified to be his lead attorney as the doturd is to be president. I walked by a courthouse last month.
11
Kasowitz, Cohen and diGenova. Such thoughtful, scholarly lawyers and officers of the Court. Trump tried to hire "My cousin Vinnie", but Joe Pesci isn't a real member of the Bar.
13
A fantasist lawyer for a fantasist client. The client is a malevolent gnome; is the lawyer? Probably, but as likely this is just a way of getting around the ethical problem lawyers have with advertising: he is generating publicity for himself tin the hope that a client that actually pays their bills will require services later.
3
I have not read all of the comments, but if Ms. Toensing, Mr. diGenova's law partner and spouse, is representing Mark Corallo, who is a witness to discussions regarding possible obstruction by the President and others, how can Mr. diGenova represent the President?
4
It becomes ever more clear, as the dots multiply and converge, that Mueller has the goods on on our treasonous, felonious philanderer-in-Chief.
That said, a criminal is at his most dangerous when cornered. His positional capacity to inflict lasting damage on the American Experiment 'persists.' If the GOP fails to support his removal, direct non-violent democracy must respond.
What if the nation simply stopped working? Kindly consider it, as Americans are being called-on to demonstrate what we're made-of, and truly care about. It's a republic - can we keep it?
You find out what a people Really value when they're under pressure - how will You respond?
5
"Ms. Toensing also represents Mark Corallo, the former spokesman for the Trump legal team who has accused one of the president’s advisers of potentially planning to obstruct justice with a statement related to a 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer who promised damaging information about Mrs. Clinton."
This is a bizarre, conflict-ridden circus of lawyers and clients when the same lawyer is representing both sides.
3
Dear Mr. President,
Go with your gut. Get rid of the traditional "establishment" lawyers and hire the conspiracy theorists. And remember, you definitely are your own best spokesman. Don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise. The majority of Americans will be behind you all the way.
1
A "majority of Americans" are not presently behind the President, a majority of Americans have never been "behind" the president, which makes the possibility of a "majority of Americans" being "behind" the president "all the way" a delusionary and wishful impossibility.
1
My attempt at sarcasm fell flat. I had hoped the reference to conspiracy theorists would be the tip off.
I just keep imagining a flock of vultures picking away at the remains of 45's decaying body. Gross I know but better him then us.
2
TRUMP WILL FIRE MUELLER.
REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS WILL SUPPORT HIM.
This ball is rolling and cannot be stopped.
Putin wins.
2
Comments on this thread include several familiar metaphors, e g deck chairs on the Titanic, rats abandoning the ship, etc. Another that comes to mind is the one about putting lipstick on a pig. No matter how much makeup and hair dye you apply, everybody knows this guy is a bum, period. He will eventually succeed in firing Mueller, and the criminals who control Congress won't interfere. But here's the thing, in my opinion: whether or not there is ever any OFFICIAL accounting, he will go down in history as a petty, low life criminal, the most disgraceful character ever to hold high office in USA, Mitch knows it. Ryan knows it. You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. And that will never change. Pete McGuire, Atlanta
The rats are leaving . . .or being thrown off . . .the sinking ship. Pretty soon, it'll just be Trump alone, holding onto an anchor for protection against the surging waters.
2
An ancillary title for this article ? "Trump Considers Reshuffling the Chairs on the Deck of the Titanic".
1
“Mr. Trump’s lead lawyer, John Dowd, has contemplated leaving his post because he has concluded that he has no control over the behavior of the president, the two people briefed on the matter said”
Mr. Dowd really said that? What a laugh! What he did Saturday morning was horrible, a disservice to his client as Gowdy characterized it. I’m not a lawyer but it sure looked like legal malpractice.
Full on, unfettered Trump. Finally able to assert his true self. Trump feels free now within the confines of the White House to trust his instinct.
Since he knows so little, Trump is retreating to what always worked for him in the past. He does this because he is lazy, self-absorbed and can not learn. He remembers the good old days. So now we have Trump the TV star adjusting his role from the Apprentice to a new stage set with some new lines. 'You're Fired' having been his favorite. New lawyers will not help this liar. Someone new may look better than Dowd on TV but that will be the only benefit.
Trump should name his new show 'The Victim' because that is the fake narrative he is writing and producing for the new series. Poor Trump, DC is being so mean to him. Only Fake Fox News and his base will tune in for this show. Devin Nunes will have a supporting role.
Substituting reality TV for sound legal advice is not a winning strategy against the expertise of the Mueller team.
2
Trump has proven to be the most unqualified President of this country.
He has fired, dismissed or discouraged A-level staff at the White House and is now replacing them with B and C level individuals, including lawyers who have to pass only ONE criterion, i.e, blind, unquestioning loyalty to all his arbitrary decisions which he makes, based on his 'brilliant instincts". He is the King, the demi-god, who has no particular need of counsel...why should he, HE KNOWS it all!
3
I am no fan of Trump, but the statement that there is little evidence to support the conspiracy by FBI and DOJ just ain't enough here NYT. Present the evidence available thus far and let your intelligent readers make their own informed decisions.
1
Shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic come to mind.
1
The Trump kiss of death: "The president reassured Mr. Cobb that he had no plans to fire him . . . "
3
How many lies has President Trump told his lawyers? Or how many true things has he told them?
2
Methinks this would be the perfect time for a subpoena, Mr. Mueller....:)
1
"The shift in tone appears to be a product of..." GUILT would be my guess. A guiltier acting person never tweeted.
2
Trump is so smart, competent and such a good deal maker, he should brush aside these legal chumps and represent himself. No one knows Trump like Trump, no one can lead like Trump, these lawyers are just watering down his leadership and capability to defend himself: let Trump be Trump, he alone can blaze the path forward protecting his family, his administration and his reputation. Trump, your lawyers will inadvertently tear you down in their effort to do their middling and meddling defense.
1
More and more the moves of the guilty...
1
He thought running for president would be great for his brand...oops
He believes he can fire and re-org his way out of the mess he and his handlers have created. That's called "flailing."
1
Any attorney who takes Trump as a client know that representation will absolutely result in their being required to intentionally violate 1) the rules of professional conduct (yes lying is against the rules of being a lawyer, as is concealing ongoing client criminal activity), 2) civil and criminal law (attacking, slandering, frivolously suing and encouraging violence against opponents), 3) The constitution (attorneys admitted to federal court swear to defend and uphold the constitution- there's no supplement needed for this), 4) basic human decency (by representing someone who you would not leave alone in a room with you underage daughter), 5) etc.
Those willing to cast aside the above are either very vain or very stupid, anyone seeing a connection?
1
Mr. Trump should hire the famed, Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan. I've heard Cesar can rehabilitate and socialize the most incorrigible dogs. Trump's lawyers would benefit from such skills.
2
Can't say I blame DJT for going on offense here. Obama's FBI and DOJ made it abundantly clear they did not want him in the White House and went to great lengths (and still continue) to undermine his agenda at every turn...
Deb from "Funkytown". How appropriate....
Like him or hate him, he's still entitled to due process and legal counsel of his choosing. He won fair and square, in spite of every obstacle thrown his way...to my knowledge, no votes were switched by the Russians or anyone else at the ballot box.
Rupert Murdoch has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
A FIX News conspiracy theories peddler is now a lead attorney for Trump.
Trump should add Hannity and Pirro to complete the orchestra.
They will play Murdoch's tunes to entertain us all.
Wonderful!
2
Chaos rears its head once again in the Oval Office.
Trump's latest tearing at his hair is to reshuffle his growing legal team.
The latest added to the roster has " ..... pushed theories on television that Mr. Trump was framed by the F.B.I."
Also there is the lawyer who claims "that the F.B.I. and the Justice Department had manufactured evidence against Mr. Trump to aid Hillary Clinton".
What better way for a lawyer to build a resume that would immediately get the attention of Trump. Indeed to Trump it is the FBI that is the real worm in his apple.
How quickly can these lawyers be hired to bring new and useful views to the table.
Could it possibly be that Trump himself is now being manipulated.
(Actually not a difficult task if one thinks about it. What goes around comes around.)
Trump is slowly evolving into the role of the proverbial "sucker" that we can count on to be "born every minute".
It would indeed be ironic if some entity has hired Campaign Analytica to profile Trump in order to manipulate and to direct his behavior.
Trump has become a "useful idiot" for some group, organization, country, or dictator who needs to build a team of like-minded persons to cement control of the world at large.
Let us hope the FBI, CIA, DOD, NSA, and even the DOJ are beginning to catch on to this likely scenario.
Of course the GOP will be the last entity to figure it all out.
The only answer is impeachment.
Get on the ball and on the problem GOP or you go down with him.
My edit to my comment.
Make that Cambridge Analytica.
Only a certain type of lawyer would work for Donald Trump, but there are lots of lawyers out there who fit the type.
1
Who is paying for all of Trump’s legal fees?
one good reason for Trump 'to drain the swamp' is to find his next legal team!
Now that diGenova is onboard with his deep state theory I expect the return of Steve Bannon is not far behind. There is no doubt that FOX News, Sean Hannity and Jeanne Pirro will have renewed energy with this paranoid defense of Trump.
Trump's base will embrace the FBI and DOJ collusion theory with gusto and the Republican Congress will continue to be deaf, dumb and blind. It will take the findings of the Mueller investigation to report the facts and expose the truth of the corruption in the Trump administration.
The MUELLER investigation is total nonsense. He will find NOTHING! He has found nothing...it's all minor stuff. Democrats will have to explain how they set up a duly elected president for political games. That's all this is. INSIDE the beltway everyone laughs about this investigation. Outside the beltway only highly partisan unhinged democrats think this is real.
"Mr. Cobb has told people that the president has recently implored him to stay."
So, Cobb wants to leave. Yes, he should leave. Take a rest, reflect on his career and life. Retire and enjoy his life, while there's still time.
1
In my opinion anyone who hires that many lawyers and especially one with a history of telling tales of conspiracy must be guilty. They are no longer trying to prove their innocence, they are trying to hide their guilt.
2
Trump needs the BEST legal experts in America; all the evidence suggests Trump has broken HUNDREDS of State and Federal laws. From election law; money laundering; to tax evasion and many more.Trump has hired 2nd string lawyers. Mueller and AG Schneiderman have the best legal teams in the country. Trump and his cohorts are fried. GOP will give them a free pass; CORRUPTION. VOTE OUT GOP IF YOU WANT JUSTICE. Ray Sipe
"Trump considers reshuffling legal Team..." He's guilty!
Re-arranging the deck chairs.......
1
This is the classic example of “rearranging the the deck chairs on the Titanic “.
DJT is desperate and knows nothing other than to recycle the lawyers around him to try and rewrite some narrative.
He is guilty. He broke the law.
Mueller knows it and now DJT knows that Mueller has him.
Once Titanic started taking on water the end was inevitable. She now rests at the bottom of the Atlantic.
DJT’s fate is inevitable as well. We just have endure the actual sinking and save as many innocent lives as possible.
DJT- he should just go down with the ship!
2
Donald has probably lied repeatedly to his lawyers and ranted about all the fake news -- despite all the indictments and clear rot and Russian presence oozing through every cell of the Trump campaign and administration. So his team is left trying to defend lies -- which opens everyone to being blindsided -- or creating lies, like the Fox fabulist. And lyin', manic Donald -- the weakest link in a line of weak links -- can only hide his panic and guilt behind anger and throw out more chaos and bullying and hope that one of his old business tricks work....
"The shift in tone appears to be a product of the president’s concern that the investigation into possible ties between his associates and Russia’s election interference is bearing down on him more directly."
And, aside from inconvenience, why would an innocent person be concerned about that?
Trump’s enthusiasm for meeting Mueller quite possibly is based upon his chameleon-like ability to feign open mindedness as in his televised DACA meeting. He has no compunctions about lying, and figures Mueller will get nothing from him. He’ll exit the interview which, in his words, will have cleared the air and underscored his above-board no-collusion stance.
His layers’ reservations, of course, are based upon Trump’s inability to focus and to keep the facts in front of himself. They fear he will lie about matters clearly contradicted by Mueller’s present dossier. They have seen Trump deal with such matters in his depiction of the value of lies in dealing with Canada’s Trudeau. The lawyers don’t share Trump’s confidence that he can get away with “gunning down the facts in broad daylight on 5th Avenue”.
1
How can we get anything done as Americans when we can't turn away from the train wreck that is this administration. there should be a estimate ont he money spent and the productivity lost to date because with Trillions in debt this should be adding to it quickly. He can rearrange the deck chairs on the Trump, Casino/White house on the Titanic all he wants but I can't stomach even hearing about him anymore. LOCK HIM UP FOR GOD'S SAKE so we all can GET BACK TO OUR WORK. I'm done babysitting TRUMP.
1
Anyone even remotely familiar with an investigation of this magnitude knows that it takes years, not less than a year as Trump's lawyers were saying to their client. Seems to me they were telling their client what he wanted to hear, instead of giving realistic legal advice, par par for the course in this WH with this president*.
And Trump and/or his other aides could easily determine on their own that the Whitewater/Starr investigation (which takes about 2 seconds to access on Wikipedia) spanned many years. Even a contested eviction in Queens Housing Court probably takes more than a year, something Trump must know from his past "business" dealings.
1
In the end we are going to find out if the Republicans REALLY do believe as they claim that we are a nation of laws. So far...Not so much.
2
Why all this worrying about his legal team if he is innocent? If he were innocent, he would have no reason to do anything but show up and tell the truth. Time to get him out.
2
There are even more compelling reasons for lawyers of honor and competence not to hitch their wagons to this "star" than there are for others to not to link their reputations to this administration.
For legal representation to be effective, lawyers have to believe their clients will follow their advice and will tell them the truth with respect to the facts of the case against them. But this is a president who daily demonstrates he will not take advice, not be controlled or "messaged" and that he not only doesn't tell the truth, he doesn't care whether what he says is true or not.
On top of that this is a president who will expect his lawyers--like everyone else who works for him--to lie on his behalf. But lawyers are constrained by the Rules of Professional Conduct, a model of which was created by the ABA in the wake of Watergate and which have been enacted in some form in every state and the District of Columbia. And one of those rules forbids lawyers from making false statements of material fact to third parties--which DC Bar rules define to include "any person or entity other than the lawyer's client" and thus the media and the public. And the Rules also put the monkey on other lawyers' backs to report any lawyer whose conduct raises substantial questions as to his or her honesty.
Given such constraints, one would have to question not just the honor but the sanity of any lawyer who would undertake the representation of someone with such disdain for the truth.
3
Looks like Fox News may officially join the trump team. That may make things messier, but whatever moves trump makes with his team, it will remain small, horribly outclassed, and way behind in the race. For months now a grand jury has been hearing evidence that has already led to subpoenas and guilty pleas. This is the all time legal mismatch in the history of American politics. That said, as I am writing this, news came on reporting a new Monmouth poll that found about 60% of Americans polled believe that there is a 'deep state' of unelected officials effectively running the country. After two of the worst public relations weeks any president has ever had, trump's approval rating jumped back to 43%. He could skate through this. If he does our experiment in representative democracy enters its terminal phase.
3
Will Donald Trump be able to use campaign funds to pay his legal bills?
Who would take his I.O.U.? All cash upfront would be a prudent rule.
1
A request for the tax returns are almost in sight and Trump knows it. This is only going to get worse/better.
2
My fear about targeting dealers is that it will just turn into another war of the privileged against the less privileged. White and higher class dealers in expensive neighborhoods will get off, while black/hispanic dealers in urban areas will be profiled and put to death.
They could target addiction in a more meaningful way at the pharmaceutical and prescription level where young adults with injuries are being overly and improperly prescribed opioids. They need to stop prescribing opioids unless the patient/families have been informed of the risk of addiction.
I personally believe that there should be heavier penalties for violent sexual assaults, rapes and rapes of minors. I wish that they will focus on real indicators of threats in our communities. I wish that they would focus on the breach of trust happening in physician offices and at pharmaceutical companies.
Mr. Dowd said: “I’m sitting here working on the president’s case right now,”
What "case" ? I thought DJT had done nothing wrong, No collusion, no conspiracy, no money laundering, no fraud, no RICO... no nothing
If he is to be believed, he would not need a lawyer and he would not be wasting time on the mysterious "case".
PS- where are those tax returns anyway ?
1
Trump hires a lawyer whose wife represents Mark Corallo (FORMER spokesman for the Trump legal team).
That's interesting!
Corallo outed Hope Hicks "these emails will not get out (or see the light of day)." (Emails about the Russian meeting in Trump Tower.)
Corallo resigned because of concerns about obstruction.
Trump hires a lawyer to help get out of obstruction (and other possible crimes). This lawyers wife represents a guy concerned about obstruction.
I like the wife's side on this case.
“Little evidence has emerged to support that theory.”
Hence by definition it’s not a theory, it’s a hypothesis.
Joe E diGenova Is the Don's new Consigliere.
1
Trump's new TV lawyer blames Trump's legal entanglements on a covert "deep state" conspiracy against him. First they hunted Hillary, but now target Donald. Makes sense, right?
Actually there is an affinity between the legal mess in which HRC and DJT found themselves. Their troubles were self inflicted.
Knowing full well that she was dogged by 30 years of conspiracy theorizing, investigations and accusations based partly on fact and fiction, she chose to protect her need for privacy by avoiding a secure official email system. Not too smart.
No matter how deep the state may go, it could never mine the depths of Trump's self defeating mental machinations. Knowing full well that he ran as a businessman with a checkered past and opaque private business interests, Trump could have made every effort to wipe he slate clean. He could have made full financial disclosure and divested or controlled for conflicts. Instead he declared he could not have conflicts of interest. He could have avoided nepotism. He could have vetted his campaign staff. He could have disclosed contacts with Russians as bona diplomacy instead of acting secretly and deceitfully.
He acted like he was concealing nefarious acts. His attacks on Comey, Mueller etc. after taking office amplify suspicion.
Hopefully we will find out what Trump's guilty conscience is really about.
But make no mistake, the deep state is within Trump Inc. and concealed within the grip of his tiny hands.
When Trump fires Sessions and replaces him with Nunes, there will be only one thing left to say: What was it like living in the United States of America?
... or, thank God that Clinton did not get elected!
The propaganda machine built by the big money conservatives to manipulate US elections is out of control. Its operators have complete disregard for the Constitution, complete disregard our national security and complete disregard for the rule of law. Fox News doesn't exist to report news, it exists to manipulate voters.
2
As a retired attorney, I cannot imagine remaining under the employ of such an impossible client who, in the end, will only diminish your professional standing while almost daily subjecting you to a chaotic psychodrama. It is hardly surprising, according to past media reports, that a number of acclaimed, prominent D.C. lawyers previously declined to represent Trump. Now, with this latest hiring of a conspiracy-peddling commentator, I expect that the legal team's strategy and tactics will be even more splintered and contradictory. What a horrible way to make a living!
2
He knows he is guilty, he will fire Mueller. What does he have to lose? He can wait till he's convicted and go to jail or he can fire Mueller and battle it out with people/process/laws he does not respect. Obviously, he will fire him. What's next is entirely up to us.
Delusional Donnie is really starting to sweat (and to get angry/frustrated) because Mueller wisely is following the money trail. And that is what this is all about. Delusional Donnie has much to hide in his "business dealings" with Russian banks and oligarchs. So it's really only a matter of time before Mueller is fired, and then the real moment of reckoning will arrive in Washington. Do Republican loyalties lie with Delusional Donnie or with the U.S. Constitution and the democratic system?
1
Well, Trump’s intentions are clear, and it’s also clear the GOP Congress will do nothing to insulate Mueller from Trump. Nothing beyond jawboning that can be walked back as developments develop. Hope the Dems find the eloquence to paint the GOP pukey and place the wreath of failure to support bills protecting Mueller boldly in view around the necks of Ryan/McConnell. Hopefully this neck garb can be used to hang them in 2018 and 2020.
1
At the risk of being redundant... if you haven't done anything wrong then you have nothing to worry about., right? In this case wrong. One's past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior and Tump is acting true to form - becoming more disorganized, bullying, accusing, unloading those seen as disloyal or inept. Where it will end is anyone's guess but meanwhile we have a POTUS who has groveled to a craven base and has expended little or no productive time to pressing national and international issues, not that these he understands or cares anything about anyway. The sad reality is that if he goes we still have the rest of the duplicitous GOP lackeys waiting in the wings and eager to seize the reins of power - Pence, Ryan, McConnell et al. Regrettably, not too much to clamor about here either.
1
Why does he have lawyers at all? It is obvious he believes, as he did re the generals, that he knows more than they do!
1
Why do we allow this affront to the fabric of our country? How much outrageous behavior can be tolerated? Congress's silence is reprehensible. People must vote for new representatives who will bring a new honesty to the country.
1
My sympathy for these "lawyers" is nonexistent. They knew exactly what and who they were getting into bed with.
Trump is going to keep hiring and firing until he gets someone to say that it is OK to fire Mueller. Watch.
2
This is similar to what I do when I get a running injury--shop around for new shoes that will magically fix everything rather than address the underlying issue.
13
The lawyers for Mr.Trump know that he lies and bullies and takes no advice.He also stiffs people for what he owes them.Have the lawyers been paid and if they have who is footing the bill?There is going to be one enormous bill as Mr.Trump shuffles through a cast of lawyers who are willing to represent him.
28
Ultimately the bill will be paid by the American people.
2
Michael and Maggie -
"Little evidence has emerged to support the theory" of an FBI plot? Surely you meant NO EVIDENCE, as DJT might type it.
Try something along the lines of "preposterous conspiracy theory", or "unhinged conspiracy theory"
39
Why can't this bad actor, Trump, just fire himself and do us all a huge, national favor?
38
The public should offer to build him a grey bar hotel all call it Trump Towers.
1
“No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar” Abraham Lincoln. I would expect that the main job of Trump's lawyers are to get him to remember and keep straight all the lies he has told.
26
I really think he doesn't care. He believes that because he is President he is immune.
1
The other approach would be to demonstrate that Trump has lied pretty much all the time. In this case it would be demonstrated that the truth is a much overrated commodity and that it would be entirely unreasonable for anyone to expect a man of Trump's importance to change the habits of a lifetime.
That's not possible.
Ah yes, the Trump Dream Team. Much like that compiled by O.J. Simpson many moons ago. A crack corps of legal storm troopers, comfortable defending the indefensible, these stumble bums haphazardly trip over one another's stories. Which one of these lawyers on the cheap is actually following any kind of coherent strategy? But then again, when you've got a complete clodhopper as a client how much can one do? In the land of these blind giants of the bar, there is not a one-eyed giant among them.
DD
Manhattan
18
Trump is like the head rat on a sinking ship, trying to figure out if he should go or stay. Either way it's a win, win scenario.
No matter how many spin doctors he hires, Mueller will get to the truth and that probably will show what investments Trump and company have over seas, especially in Russia which may lead to the reason why Trump likes Putin so much.
Have a good swim Donny.
27
Horrible, self destructive client, unwilling to listen, prone to lies and self-delusion, receiving likely conflicting advice from multiple, possibly battling attorneys - a recipe for disaster!! I love it!
24
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men and all the lawyers in the world cannot make humpty Trump innocent. The momentum has shifted and Trump is going down.
34
He will only go down if the Republican's initiate his demise. Right now there are no signs that are willing to do what's right cause they are all in it together.
2
To be successful Trump must discredit, humiliate and slander all leadership in DOJ, FBI, CIA and NSA. Ironically, Trumps detractors are republicans Comey, Rosenstein, McCabe, Wray and Mueller are all republican.
Trump complains of the deep State Obama holdovers, but his own Republican Party hates him.
21
Well at least this will give Trump more to rant about at his campaign rallies.
6
I hope Judge Judy joins the cast on next week's episode! Trump's casting has been disappointingly uninspired since he lost Omarosa to competing franchise 'Big Brother'. Larry Kudlow: boring! diGenova: a has-been who can't coin a (un) decent hashtag; Stormy brought some much needed excitement to the show, but neither the sex tapes nor the love child story lines are trending with the evangelicals. Sad.
17
Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Let's hope before Trump sinks in the trash heap of history, he does as little damage to America as possible.
19
The next to the last paragraph is difficult to understand and should be rewritten, IMO.
1
“There was a brazen plot to illegally exonerate Hillary Clinton and, if she didn’t win the election, to then frame Donald Trump with a falsely created crime,” he said on Fox News in January. He added, “Make no mistake about it: A group of F.B.I. and D.O.J. people were trying to frame Donald Trump of a falsely created crime.” Joseph E. diGenova, Conspiracy lawyer.
Donald J Chaos & Co. have hired another liar. This reminds me of my college days. When one of my housemates, who was quite eccentric, subscribed to the National Enquirer. When the newest edition would arrive, a few would sit down as one of us would read the stories aloud and we would all have a good laugh. The stories were usually so far fetched that laughter was always the result. It seems that some people actually believe the fairy tales. The approach has crossed over to TV in the form of Fox & Friends. Now, we are seeing a new type of legal expert, the Conspiracy Lawyer. Making up outrageous theories worked for O.J.s defense team, but Trump ain't O.J. and Washington DC is not LA. More indictments to come, Can't wait.
25
Trump continues to insist that 'he's done nothing wrong'. How would he possibly know? He's ignorant of the law and the Constitution, monumentally dishonest, and can't seem to remember what he's said from one day to the next.
Additionally, we've all witnessed obvious malfeasance since he's been in office. He does stuff 'wrong' all the time!
24
Yes, he does wrong stuff all the time, but there is no law saying a President must be competent or can't make policy that will destroy America if he want's to, especially when the checks and balances built into our democracy are ignored.
I smell an insanity defense a-brewing.
besides, Republicans believe that if the President does it, it's not illegal, by (Nixon's) definition.
1
"Anyone under FBI investigation is not fit to be president"
Donald J Trump
"If you are attacking FBI investigators, you are losing"
Kelly Anne Conway
Only guilty people try to discredit investigators. As sleazy as Trey Gowdy is, he is right. trump and his team are acting guilty, and more so every single day.
We can only guess at what crimes beyond the election rigging, illegal conspiracy with Russia, theft of personal data, illegal use of campaign funds, money laundering, misappropriation of public funds, Emoluments clause violations, Hatch act violations, extortion, lying to federal investigators, and obstruction of justice charges that we already know about are pending for this criminal syndicate that stole the highest political office in our country. Maybe treason thrown into the mix too?
trump is becoming fully aware that he could spend the rest of his days paying for a lifetime of crimes in federal prison, as is fitting and just for him to do.
26
"The president reassured Mr. Cobb that he had no plans to fire him..."
Oh dear. Sorry about that Ty. Hope the lease on your house is reasonably short term.
14
Brilliant move, hiring another ninth stringer, Mueller's knees must be trembling.
13
Isn’t this the same liar who, while on the campaign trail, said the vote would be rigged if he lost? Now, Trump has sycophants saying he’s being framed by the FBI—while he continues to slither along.
10
You have to question the integrity of people like Cobb and Dowd, who by now surely know that Trump is a traitor to his country yet continue to work for him. Sekulow's and diGenova's characters are beyond question: they have none.
19
Looney tune tornado swirling style aside, Trump likes conspiracies. He spent years with the crazy burger lie: that meant he got camera time, newsprint, and attention. He has been in frequent contact with Alex Jones whose conspiracies range free m the grassy knoll to lizard people in power. Almost half of Trump voters seriously believed that Hillary Clinton ran a child sex ring out of a nonexistent basement in a pizza restaurant. Conspiracy stories feed paranoia, manipulate people, and validate delusions.
Mr. Cobb and others know how wary to be with criminal clients, but can they deal with crazy? Trump was a spoiled rich kid. He became a spoiled rich man who could do anything he wanted - with women, his companies, his workers, families - with co conscience and little consequence.
This long national nightmare is in its second year. We cannot let this man and his dramas destroy democracy. Primaries, then the midterm. Vote for every office, from dogcatcher on up and vote Democratic. Republicans have done nothing to check their crazy lord of the loons.
17
A person who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client. I might add that a client who picks a TV conspiracy theorist as his lawyer is an even bigger fool. While Trump likes to tweet NO COLLUSION, NO COLLUSION, he has never tweeted NO OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE -- of which there is evidence aplenty -- and there are only two people on whom he has been strangely silent: Putin and Stormy. It gets curioser and curioser.
11
Great point!
You don't denigrate those that can damage you.
Who is going to stop him from starting a war to obfuscate it all?
15
General Mattis.
Given his behavioral history, I would not be surprised at all if at some point Trump decides that he, and only he, can fix his situation at which point he will fire all of his attorneys and represent himself. That would of course be a moronic move to make, but this is Donald Trump we're talking about.
17
Trump stars in "The Trump Story: Trump on Trial." Tune in next week, when Trump (acting as his own attorney) says, "I didn't do anything illegal . . . But first, I need to consult with my attorney to see if I did."
Trump:
Here is a list of things you should consider reshuffling:
- Your morals
- Your words
- Your deeds
- Your conscience
- Your actions
21
...and Congress.
Trump now has more lawyers than Carter's has pills
7
I heard Judge Judy is available and Ally McBeal does pro bono work for delusional, paranoid politicians.
4
Well......one out of three ain't bad. Perhaps he should assign each of his lawyers a number so he would not have to remember names. But then, I suppose he does not have to remember names anyhow..........
4
you know? those deck chairs on the titanic never did look quite right.....
5
I laughed to hard reading this.
Vote them out, its all the Americans can do. Please Democrats get out and vote this time, please!
15
“I am VERY happy with my lawyers, John Dowd, Ty Cobb and Jay Sekulow,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter, assailing a New York Times article about his discussions with Mr. Flood. “They are doing a great job.”
Oooooo, we've heard that before!
17
The worst client a lawyer can have is a liar who won’t listen. Trump is both of these.
33
All that smoke is leading to fire; no pun intended
11
One trick pony: “You’re Fired!”
9
"Little evidence has emerged to support that theory." - really? Have you reviewed the evidence? Have you reviewed the tweets by mulitple FBI agents? Especially Peter S. and his fbi lawyer girl friend? There's plenty of evidence, the NYT just doesn't want to report it or dig into since it doesn't fit the NYT narrative.
1
The FBI tried repeatedly to destroy Hillary Clinton. They succeeded.
19 have been charged with felonies.
3 have pleaded guilty to felonies to avoid years in prison. Manafort is looking at 30 years in prison.
That sounds pretty real to me.
That doesn't sound like a made-up story.
You go!, Al... Fight, fight, fight. With you all the way!
--Lazlo Toth
Little evidence to support DiGenova's crackpot conspiracy theory? How about NO evidence at all!
24
Why don't you hire Kris Kobach to defend you, Donald Trump?
9
Trump and friends say there was a “brazen plot” to let Hillary off -- such as Trump's brazen dismissal of lock-her-up talk: “That plays great before the election -- now we don't care, right?”
"Where's my Roy Cohn?" Disbarred and deceased, that's where.
9
Frequent reshuffling of the legal team simply reflects anguish and frustration that's unlikely to much change the outcome.
14
A succession of lawyers like this is a good indicator of an unreasonable and difficult client.
2
Dear Donald,
Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.
XXXX OOOO
p.s. Here's to the future. Cheers!
Well - he hates just about everybody. So how does that work with your theory/equation ?
1
Telling Trump not to be petty is like telling him not to breathe.
1
Paraphrasing a paragraph from Richard Nixon's farewell speech to his staff before boarding the helicopter. Interesting.
So Trump told Dowd 2 call 4 Mueller 2 b fired. Seems important. Why not the lede?
1
This illegitimate president should add Stormy Daniels' lawyer to his team.
8
It is very difficult for me to believe that this pathological liar has told anything like the whole truth to his lawyers. He can be convincing, so I also would not be surprised that Ty Cobb, for one, has been fooled. Dowd is as vile as Trump, so He may not care whether he knows the truth or not.
11
deGenova = he wants to try this thing on the air, put deGenova as his pit bull on Fox. He's willing to rend the fabric of the nation further to save his own skin. No pardons, ever, for this man.
Maybe he can offer $130,000 to Mueller.
7
Is the Constitution still considered a binding document or only one used selectively when expedient?
If so, maybe The Trumps and GOP can spend family hour reading the Sixth Amendment and finding ways to bend it to suit their needs.
We’re already footing the bill for everything for them anyways including their little golf junkets and world trips to promote their stupid name branding business, I’m surprised they aren’t billing us for legal fees.
28
So, Trump is reshuffling his legal team...basically akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic...
36
Note that Trump lies constantly and chronically. pretty much any time Trump opens his mouth, you can assume that a lie is about to come out, and most of the time you will be correct! Sure, all politicians lie every once in while, but lying constantly is qualitatively different from lying every once in a while. Currently, it is perfectly legal to lie on the campaign trail but illegal to lie before Congress or before a court of law.
The law should be changed so that it is also illegal to lie on the campaign trail. Lying constantly on the campaign trail, makes a mockery of Constitutional Democracy, and it must be prohibited by law
21
This is going to end in a irreversibly impeachable action on the part of Trump. We all know it's coming.
29
Perhaps, for the good of this once great nation, we can remove this bumbling "president" and get on with putting our nation back together again? This entire era has been nothing short of a complete catastrophe.
31
Hiring Joe DiGenova shows how simple minded Trump is, and how susceptible he is to the nonsense he hears on FAUX News.
It reminds me when I was young, and students read Classics Illustrated instead of books.
Whoever studied Trump's vocabulary and speech pattern and deemed it that of a 4th grader was spot-on.
31
A fourth grader who has been held back several times.
5
Pasty faced men throughout our nation are living in a fantasy world where they still rule. If they had any sense they would all retire rather than bring further insult to themselves.
Perhaps age takes a greater toll on those who cannot see they have outlived their use.
The yet undrained swamp is still home to these doddering old creatures and will remain full as long as the man handling the pump can't seem to get his fingers wrapped around the handle.
11
It is obvious to the world from your conduct Mr. Trump that you have plenty to hide; I am willing to bet the house on it. Chances are that sharing your tax returns would have exposed some or all of it. If there if incontrovertible evidence of Russian ties (or any other impeachable offense) the Republicans will turn on you. The real heroes of 2018-19 will be those Republicans brave enough to do so. There is a reason that none of them supported your candidacy until you lied and schemed your way to the nomination. They, like I, think you are a joke.
16
Why is this man allowed to continue bumbling about creating chaos and besmirching the reputation of America? The election was compromised and the Trump win was aided by dishonesty and cheap tricks. The presidency was achieved through fraudulent means. Trump's 'MAGA' actually means 'Making America Gullible Again'.
21
Actually MAGA means "(re)Make America's Gilded Age."
Government of the Oligarchs, by the Oligarchs for the Oligarchs!
The Republican Party needs a new Teddy Roosevelt.
1
There is a saying in the legal profession that goes like this: When the law is against you argue the facts; when the facts are against you argue the law and when the law and facts are against you just pound the table to cause confusion and diversion. Trump & his legal team know the facts and the law are against them so now it's all the confusion and diversion and keep on pounding the table!
26
Even a greater concerted effort to obfuscate the facts, denigrate the prosecutors and muddy up the issues with more conspiracy theories, and still no Congressional concerns really being raised about Cambridge Analytics, their tactics and meetings with Lewandowski and Bannon!
16
Note that Trump lies constantly and chronically. pretty much any time Trump opens his mouth, you can assume that a lie is about to come out, and most of the time you will be correct! Sure, all politicians lie every once in while, but lying constantly is qualitatively different from lying every once in a while. Currently, it is perfectly legal to lie on the campaign trail but illegal to lie before Congress or before a court of law.
The law should be changed so that it is also illegal to lie on the campaign trail. Lying constantly on the campaign trail, makes a mockery of Constitutional Democracy, and it must be prohibited by law.
2
One thing I can't fathom is following Trump on Twitter. I'm trying to imagine getting this tweet “I am VERY happy with my lawyers, John Dowd, Ty Cobb and Jay Sekulow” and still following him. Who cares? But, Mueller has been at this since taking over the investigation in May of 2017. One wonders how long Americans will have to endure this investigation and wait for an answer to the really big question - Was Trump involved? Like Trump or hate him, I can't blame him for wanting to see an end to this.
I am happy that he is hiring a lawyer who worked on Clinton's impeachment. It shows he knows what's coming.
12
He's getting ready to fire Mueller, that's why he is bringing on new lawyers of a particular political bent. It doesn't matter if he has the authority to fire, he will just do it. And nobody will do anything about it, lest of all timid souls in congress.
7
For anyone who wants to see why human beings are slow to develop, they should study the trump presidency. Borderline people with lots of money can become president of the United States and turn, what should be a meaningful, helpful opportunity into a self aggrandizing 3 ring circus. We should never forget that 65 million Americans let this happen. It’s “the reality tv generation”. A very low bar in human development.
13
Why is Trump afraid of the investigation going forward?
4
What is the point of all these stories about how Trump might fire so-and-so, no, now he says he won't? Readers are frazzled after more than two years of constant alarmist reporting. And, despite the hundreds of will-he/won't he pieces, nothing has REALLY changed. It's still the same rollercoaster. Trump entices the media with disgusting little tidbits to make everyone pay attention to him. Both he and the media have an interest in keeping this going.
We need a new approach: Turn off Trump. Don't feed the beast. Turn of MSNBC. Turn off CNN. Turn off Maggie Haberman - until something beyond the white noise happens - e.g. Trump fires Mueller or it's time for Nov 2018.
5
It seems obvious to me that the actions of the president need to be aired and commented on; it is also obvious that the president feeds off seeing his name and likeness in the media. The cure: No longer use his name or photo or video representation. All articles should refer to him as "the president," publish no photo with the article, and when shooting video of his actions, focus on the backdrop.
If the MSM would totally redact his name and likeness in covering his actions, he would collapse within a week. Buggy as the devil!
3
All these attorneys are auditioning for the role of Tom Hagan in Trump, the movie.
5
"The president reassured Mr. Cobb that he had no plans to fire him, ..."
If I was Mr. Cobb, I would be shopping my resume around.
5
Trump sold himself as a "successful" businessman as a candidate. Now we are seeing he is using the same tactics that made him so "successful" in his prior iteration- bully the people you don't like, hire aggressive and bombastic lawyers and, if all else fails, declare bankruptcy.
And he has demonstrated he is perfectly capable of bankrupting the Office of the Presidency and the stature of the US.
17
Bring in Joe. He is no nonsense. Time to go on the offense.
1
LOL. Against what - the Constitution of the United States of America?
7
Changing the legal team once again and moving to offense in this case translates into an admission of guilt....he may or may not be impeached but smart republicans will be watching carefully and be at least mute and some have already begun to distance themeselves.
Trump is obviously oblivious to the reality that only Mueller has the ability to absolve him of guilt in the minds of the American people. His strategy to discredit Mueller and the FBI only makes his guilt more obvious. Some genius!
10
You quote Mr diGenova and then follow with a purported statement of fact as follows: “Make no mistake about it: A group of F.B.I. and D.O.J. people were trying to frame Donald Trump of a falsely created crime.”
Little evidence has emerged to support that theory.
Is this statement about "little evidence" supposed to be reporting? Is there actually some evidence, even though it may be "little"? What evidence is there of this made for Fox statement? Or is there no evidence? Is this the kind of simplistic reporting that helped get trump elected in the first place? How about doing some investigatory reporting or just stick to actual facts. If responsible journalists had done some investigating, supported by their employers, before the election everything we are learning now would have been exposed. Instead we got sensationalized stories about trump rallies and his insults. This story is just more of the same.
5
Trump doesn't want lawyers or any other subject-matter experts; he wants cheerleaders. Too much knowledge makes him ill. Which leads to firing people, much the same way rational people fumigate their homes to get rid of insects.
Except that rational people can tell the difference between subject-matter experts and insects.
8
Having never held lawyers as paragons of the truth, I am just stunned at the sheer number of overtly mendacious lawyers flocking to defend our pathetic excuse for a leader. It's appalling to watch these overpriced minions tripping over each other, consumed with greed and power and so willing to toss ethics to the wind as lie after lie falls from their lips.
9
Trump truly has hit the bottom of the barrel. He's down to the mustachioed. At least he admits a crime was committed, but he was framed. He thought there was a sale on Russian dressing or Russians, dressing.
3
Trump is about to discover that replacing competent legal advisors with sycophants and liars is not a sound legal strategy.
9
Decades ago, I was a young litigation attorney who defended other lawyers named as defendants in fraud, securities, and negligence cases. Trump's delusion that he's the best person to run his own defense is going to be his undoing.
When you're in the kind of legal jeopardy Mr. Trump is, the dumbest thing you can do is pick lawyers who are telling you what you want to hear- much less, those doing so on cable news. You need a top-notch lawyer (with expertise in the field, and a major firm backing him or her up) who will sober you up with a brutal estimation of the worst possible outcome; then outline and competently execute a defense strategy with the best chance of avoiding that scenario. Then you need to cooperate fully in the plan, keep your mouth shut about the case, take advice, and pay the bills.
Mr. Trump sees lawyers- like all other people with expertise- as employees, capos, tools in his arsenal. But he's the big boss, the man with the top IQ, and infallible instincts. I'm going to enjoy watching how his chaos-theory legal defense works out for him, and his future co-defendants.
197
In short, he is his own lawyer. To quote a great American President: Abraham Lincoln Had It Right - “He who represents himself has a fool for a client”
2
Stable Genius.
Great comment.
Trump is the type of legal client who doesn't seek or listen to advice, he tells his attorneys what he wants, figuring that is what he is paying them for: to do his bidding - and win at it. If they don't - they are out. I don't know how the reporters know that he "insisted he did nothing wrong" to his attorneys. He's proven in word and deed that does't care a fig about right or wrong; only that whatever he has done cannot be prosecuted as a crime. Publicly, he harps on the collusion: I wonder: privately - does he even allow his own lawyers to ask about financial shenanigans, in which lies the deep dirt?
13
Joseph DiGenova is far too political and ideological to have any credibility as a lawyer defending President Trump. He may have worked as a prosecutor in the past, and he may practice as a lawyer, but these days he is fundamentally a Fox News political commentator, willing to fabricate malicious accusations against the FBI and Special Counsel Mueller and his team if that will serve his political purposes.
There's an old lawyer's joke that "If the facts are on your side, pound the facts. If the law is on your side, pound the law, and if neither the facts nor the law are on your side, pound the table."
President Trump wants a team of lawyers who will pound the table as hard and as loud as possible. Mr. DiGenova is such a lawyer. He may specialize in political PR, but that does not mean he will be an effective legal professional if and when the time comes to defend a client in a criminal case.
President Trump's problem is not his lawyers; he has a talented team of lawyers working for him already. His problem is himself and his own conduct, past and current. Responsibility for his own actions may be catching up with him, slowly but inexorably. He wants someone to make that go away magically, and he is willing to pay lots of money who anyone who claims to know how to do that.
The problem, though, is that the facts and the law do not appear to be on his side -- and in the end, pounding the table may not help.
44
Trump ain't never gonna sit down with either Mueller or Kim, but for opposite reasons.
He bamboozled Cobb but now they are stuck with each other. At least for a while longer.
7
Let the President speak. Unleash the Trump. He will surely defeat Mueller handily. Knocked off-balance by Trump's power handshake at the start, Mueller will be unable to cope with the President's tortured syntax, repetition, random tangents, and dazzling rhetorical skills.
Mueller will be as Silly Putty in Trump's powerful hands. Trump will reprise his victory over Hillary in the debates. Mueller won't know what hit him.
25
And a man who spends every night in bed eating fast food does not have "powerful hands". I'm assuming that was a joke as well.
5
This is a joke, right? You can't be serious.
5
Donald Trump sure doesn't act like someone not guilty of the crimes he's suspected of. If Trump's as innocent as he proclaims to be, why is it so important to him to shut Mr. Mueller and the investigation down?
32
I think any other president even Nixon would have stepped down by now. Trump treats Mueller investigation like he’s totally insignificant. Maybe he’s gotten away with it all of his life.
25
Appears to be one more misstep in a suicidal plot to get rid of special counsel Mueller.
Even a foreigner like me knows that President Trump has nothing to fear from the Russian collusion investigation, if he is innocent. Let's say there does turn out to be a Deep State, and Mr. Mueller falsely declares your shallow president to be actually Trumpsky, a Russian spy. Even so, Mr. Trump has to be impeached by Congress.
The Dems seem set to take the House in November. They may possibly take the Senate as well, given Mr. Trump's increasingly bizarre behaviour. That still does not give them the supermajority needed in that chamber. Unless my understanding is completely incorrect, if Mr. Trump has a clear conscience, he can rest easy.
Mr. Trump seems bent on letting people come to the unfortunate conclusion that he has something to hide.
10
As the fish tries desperately to wriggle off the hook, Trump thrashes wildly, accusing everyone else of failure, but it isn't going to work. Trump's sordid past is finally catching up to him and Mueller will not be deterred.
In the meantime, it is the United States, 350 mill Americans and US allies that are paying the real price. While Trump woefully mismanages America, China seeks every opportunity to displace the US as the global powerhouse.
Environmental psychotics like Pruitt foist environmental policy and law changes that affect the entire globe. And if all of that's not enough, now Trump wants to bring back uber hawk Bolton to make sure war is declared and millions die.
While I didn't agree with Cohn's policies, replacing him with the media hack Kudlow would be laughable if the consequences weren't so serious. The public should remember Kudlow's infamous denial of the bubble right before the 2008 meltdown.
Trump has exposed the worst in mankind. From Evangelicals who condone husband Trump's never ending disregard for the sanctity of marriage, to the miscreant republicans who allow this monstrosity to continue unfettered as long as he lines their lobbyist pockets.
We are the Titanic, picking up speed towards certain disaster. Never forget that Trump has the nuclear codes but unlike Nixon, Trump will not go quietly into the night. Trump is the ultimate con man whose achieved a level of corrupted power Al Capone only dreamed of.
39
And, like Al Capone, it may be his finances that finally do him in. He knows how he amassed his wealth. He knows how much he has amassed and to whom he is indebted. Soon - though not soon enough - the world will know, too. That is his greatest fear.
The only thing Trump loves all most as much as himself is money. His wife and children run a distant third.
I hope his "brand" is so damaged by his hubris in running for an office he didn't want and for which he was not qualified in any way that he never recovers. I want him to die a pauper ignored and alone. Prison would be the icing on the cake.
8
trump need to consider reshuffling himself out of the presidency and out of the public eye. The sooner the better. Before someone does it for him, like Mueller.
26
There is no team. Trump's legal "team" is consisting of lawyers who each have different approaches to his defense. Whose strategy Trump will follow all depends on Trump mood.
9
The sweet nugget in this article is the revelation that many of Washington's top lawyers are 'passing' on joining Trump's legal team. Smart people.
One could only wish that the top GOP legislators in Congress would see the same light.
35
Any wagers on whether the outgoing lawyers get paid?
25
I suspect they've all asked for and gotten sizable retainers up front. What is more important question is where Trump is drawing these funds from.
3
The real question is why on earth are these people waiting to be fired. Surely this team of "top lawyers", all of them "highly experienced" don't need the money? If in fact they are ever paid. Though I imagine that they are sure that a monthly (weekly?) check gets sent to them. Or maybe money order.
And MacMaster? Tillerson? Kelly? I get that Sessions is having a lot of fun wrecking havoc going after illegal immigrants and mj smokers which may make it worth taking the slings from the orange one, but why would the rest of them take all that public abuse when they surely have the funds to walk away? And one can only imagine what the private abuse is like. Why???? They once had good reputations - well, except for Sessions.
16
Umm...they did not really have such stellar reputations. Excepting Mattis and McMaster
Try as Trump will, this won't go away. Apparently, Trump won't be able to either buy his way out of this or settle this out of court like all his other 3200 plus lawsuits. This is no out of pocket expense to Trump anyway. He's using campaign finance to pay his legal team. He has been attending donor events lately, his legal team isn't cheap. What does this add up to for self-described King of Debt?
15
Ah, the Mercers and Kochs of this world doing mind throwing pennies at his legal team! They will keep everything afloat for as long as possible. It is to their benefit.
3
I believe in "innocent until proven guilty" but I've never seen anyone, especially a president, act more guilty than Trump right now. The infantile outbursts, the personal attacks, and the flatly insane tweets loaded with name calling and lies, especially about Hillary Clinton, his superior in every way. She calmly endured the GOP's serial investigations because she was innocent. Trump, in turn, is wildly uncomfortable with his guilt. Michael Wolff opens "Fire and Fury" with Trump on election night getting more and more furious that he's winning. He never wanted to win this election. And now we know why.
30
Trump's "win" was a master stroke by Putin, putting the Donald in a box. His leverage over Trump suddenly became exponentially stronger, Trump's potential exposure on many fronts became astronomically fraught and his beholdeness became potentially fatal. As Trump's monopoly empire crumbles his creditors (guess who) will pick up most of the pieces. The checkmate aspect of this all is our nation starts to crumble along with him unless we take immediate steps to sever him from our process and root out the tentacles of corruption and foreign influence he brought with him. In the house at least, the disease seems to have defeated the cure, for now.
Now he's swinging wildly just as the pitches are getting faster and straighter, and all he can do is try to buy a new umpire. Given what we know to date, it seems obvious there is no deep state, if there was they'd have taken him out long ago.
1
Mr. Trump will be in much more trouble if the investigation continues. He needs to stop it even if it is very troublesome to do so. He is trying to control damage.
2
"Control damage" is what you call obstruction of justice to hide a wide array of felonies?
1
Or even treason?
1
“The president reassured Mr. Cobb that he had no plans to fire him”. I’m sure Mr. Cobb is reassured.
8
He's not going to fire Mueller. He'll fire Sessions and Rosenstein, appoint Nunes as AG, and they'll strangle the investigation: refuse to sign off on subpoenas, curtail each new line of inquiry, and, turn off funding. After 23 years as a detective, I know that once a boss-in-the-courts decides to derail an investigation, it's not that hard to pull off.
14
It begins to look like the only people functioning at the Trump administration are his lawyers.
4
Bottom line is Trump doesn't have to fire Mueller. he has to control or replace Rosenstein or Sessions. Once that happens the report will never see the light of day. That's our political system. Trump can be caught stealing money from fort Knox or killing a baby with his bare hands and as long as he has control of the senate and house he is immune to prosecution. Have to wait for the democrats to take both houses.
13
If he has nothing to hide it almost does not matter who the lawyers are. I trust with Mueller that the truth will come out.
8
"It’s never a good idea to see legal teams change dramatically and for competent lawyers to be replaced by others,” said Roger Cossack, a longtime legal analyst. “It shows that there is chaos and that whoever the client is — in this case the president — is unhappy and is searching for the magic bullet. "
The intuitive gut Donald John hails as his muse is shivering with fear. This muse is whispering to him, Donald there is no 'magic bullet' for;
"Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized. In the first it is ridiculed, in the second it is opposed, in the third it is regarded as self evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer
It's over Donald John you have been exposed.
15
Trump voters' credulity has now been exceeded by Trump's.
8
Trump is looking for 'yes' people, not legal advice. So those who don't tell Trump what he wants to hear, or who dare tell him when to hold back, are in danger of being marginalized and rejected.
Frankly, Trump is not a good prospect as a client. He has cost one lawyer the time and expense of paying hush money to an adult film actress. Trump's counsel have also contorted themselves on television trying to explain and justify the behavior of a pathological liar. Trump rejects professional guidance about not tweeting on his Muslim ban or on members of the Justice Department.
When the lawyers have been lawyering up, things are going downhill. Those who abscond Trump's sinking ship are doing themselves a favor.
5
Most likely the number of lawyers in DJ's life exceeds or will soon do the number of women.
10
But he doesn't sue his lawyers.........just his sex partners....
1
I wonder if anyone has ever calculated the gap in time between Trump tweeting about how happy he is with someone and that someone getting fired?
I would venture it is constant
7
I'm afraid that if/when Trump fires Mueller/have Mueller fired - and the GOP fails to protect Mueller - the effect will be a civic uprising with the ultimate possibility of a civil war.
12
This man is not fit to be President...and he continues to prove it, almost every day. He was elected because of a fluke, and dirty tricks.
Although he won the election in the electoral college, he lost the election by 3 million popular votes, and he will live with that for the rest of his life. And now the rest of us have to hear his crap every day.
Hi ego, greed and stupidity, knows no peers.
59
Ty Cobb, John Dowd and Jay Sekulow currently in Trump’s legal team will have a hard time putting up with a deep-state conspiracy theorist like Joe DiGenova, who since Jauary had spoken on Fox News and other far-right media outlets, just aiming to lure Trump into hiring him, because Trump likes hiring people who say things in public that he likes.
DiGenova surely is experienced lawyer, but what makes him so attractive to Trump is his thoughts on the theory that there is a “secret society” within the intelligence community and the Department of Justice that aim to remove Trump from office.
27
The article states that “little evidence” supports deGenova’s wild conspiracy theories that the FBI and others have manufactured evidence to exonerate Clinton of something. The more accurate term would be “no evidence.” Don’t give conspiracy theorists even a slim thread with which to destroy the FBI and the rule of law.
178
The lack of evidence proves the depth and effectiveness of the conspiracy. That should be enough to determine that the conspiracy exists.
Yes, why "little evidence?" It's sensational that there is any evidence at all of such a thing.
Exactly, otherwise these slim threads, like Trump’s birther nonsense, grow, no evidence provided!
I aspire always to nonviolence, yet I confess to a recurring daydream: I am Trump lawyer Ty Cobb's granddaddy. I'm throwing a high hard one straight at Trump's head -- in the era where batters wore no helmets. The "beanball" might knock some sense into him.
20
Jim: Might "knock some sense into him".
You must be kidding.
trump is not capable of having sense unless it involves cruelty, greed and narcissism. It's only about trump. That's trump's sense.
2
Someone should point out to Trump that a large legal team by his side is not an automatic vindication if he is indeed guilty of breaking the law.
50
I wonder if his "legal team" arrives for work riding in one of those teeny circus cars? And wears funny clothes and carry slap-sticks? But then, who is laughing right now? Mostly, Democrats.........
I see two reasons why Trump could be abandoning a cooperative strategy. If Mueller's subpoena of the Trump Organization is likely to reveal compromising information, fighting the subpoena would make sense. Trump knows whether he's innocent or not and which evidence is key. If Mueller is breathing down his neck, full cooperation no longer makes sense.
On the other hand, Mueller's investigation has gone on for more than a year. His principal strategy has been to indict and flip underlings. The Trump Organization subpoena goes in a new direction. If it is nothing but a dead end Mueller is chasing rainbows. His task is monumental and closing the investigation would be the most difficult step -- there is always another rock to look under. If Trump knows he's innocent, it would be reasonable for him to stonewall Mueller's latest efforts in order to bring the investigation to a close.
As for which is the more likely scenario, anybody who thinks they know thinks they know the unknowable.
2
Starr's Whitewater investigation went on for many, many years. I'm more than willing to give Mr. Mueller at least that long.
17
Here’s the thing: he’s guilty. Makes it much more difficult to devise a winning strategy.
59
I have two old friends who served as U.S. Attorneys some many years ago. Per the way it goes, each left his position when the administrations responsible for their appointments changed.
Our conversations often revolved around legal issues of import, but I was careful to not ask inappropriate questions--though I had to often bite my tongue to keep from doing so--that might have made them uncomfortable in the answering.
But, that was many years ago. So, upon hearing that diGenova had joined Trump's small army of lawyers and knowing of his gobsmackingly crazy conspiracy theory about the "brazen plot...to frame Donald Trump of a falsely create crime, I called one of them to ask if he was even a bit dismayed that a man pushing such a notion had once actually served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia---a right weighty position.
His response was as clear and decisive as any he or my other friend had ever offered per one of my questions. Sounding tired and weary, he said, "You have no idea. You just have no idea."
'Nuff said.
55
No innocent man behaves this way.
But even if one did, the fact that Trump has refused to take a stand of ANY kind against Russia or Putin while he tries to get Mueller fired says it all.
138
Out with it! He's a Russian agent pure and simple and backed by the Republican Party.
1
'Joseph E. diGenova, a longtime Washington lawyer who has appeared regularly on Fox News in recent months to claim that the F.B.I. and the Justice Department had manufactured evidence against Mr. Trump to aid Hillary Clinton.'
DiGenova is the legal genius who opined on Hannity:
'The activities of McCabe and others and Bruce Ohr and others were designed to subvert the Constitution and a national election, the most serious offense under our Constitution.'
There are three offences under the Constitution: treason; piracy; counterfeiting.
By Section 110 of Article III. of the Constitution of the United States, it is declared that:
'Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open Court. The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason.'
Many non-lawyers, including shock jocks and conspiracy theorists, delight in conflating treason with subversion. To the ignoramus, they may appear to be the same. Nonetheless, subversion is not the same as treason. Subversion is overthrowing the existing order illicitly. Subversion doesn't require war or the help of enemies. Think of Steerpike trying to subvert the established order in Gormenghast. There was no treason involved.
To be clear, therefore, subversion is not an offence under the Constitution.
8
decades of money laundering and the hubris to think it would stay out of the public eye after an election
224
Yes!
1
@true patriot: Well, at least it explains why he refuses to release his tax information to the public, as honorable presidents do.
1
You should join Mueller's team. I don't believe he is even investigating money laundering. He could benefit from your inside information. Of course, if you made this all up, he could indict you.
I was reading about the gig economy, but this takes lawyering somewhere else. "They are doing a great job" means less than nothing. Any lawyering for Junior will be a short, fraught and unrewarding gig (welcome to post-truth work!). Hopefully, some are actually there to do something useful ;write a novella ( nothing too involved, like in Wolf Hall), or a gloriously tawdry expose ("Stormy Days"?) or maybe just a cautionary tale for very young children.
8
"Legal team"? Trump's "legal team" could fill Yankee Stadium twice over. There is never an item about him, in any context, that does not mention lawyers and more lawyers, with the same name seldom appearing twice. He's got a lawyer for every minute of the day. This is a legacy of his "business model" which was to defraud a client and then litigate the matter to death, calculating that the other party would finally throw in the towel. And, they usually did, with the profits outweighing the legal fees. The man has no business acumen at all except for this one tired tactic, which he will seek, unsuccessfully, to apply to Mueller's investigation. On the other hand, singlehandedly, Trump is keeping the moribund legal profession afloat.
140
Trump is likely hoping these lawyers come up with more consistent explanations for his behavior than Michael Cohen’s explanation that Stormy was paid $130k to keep quiet about an affair she supposedly did not have.
45
And the mainstream media.
Two things in this article stand out. First, that the newest attorney’s wife is representing Mark Corallo. His assertion that Trump created the deceptive explanation about the Trump Tower meeting is one of the things that gives the obstruction accusations credibility. Second is that Emmet Flood isn’t the newest addition to the team, he is a credible lawyer with relevant experience. Did he turn down the role or did Trump conclude that he was too honorable to join his team?
20
Who is paying for all of this legal help? The meter is spinning pretty fast with all this legal talent on the payroll. All of the names seem to be long-time DC players. So much for changing Washington and draining the swamp. It appears that trump may have fallen in himself.
30
DJT has to pay for his personal lawyers...That said, he promised more jobs if elected - we just didn’t realize he meant jobs for defense attorneys.
10
Whew! For a minute there, I thought he might actually stick with this team. But, then I remembered he knows more about fighting than the generals do. He knows more about trade wars than economists do. He knows how to hire only the best people and only he can fix Washington. Without question, he knows more about the law than lawyers so it was easily to find fault with the current team. I suggest he trust his feelings here and get rid of his entire team.
He should represent himself. He could watch old episodes of Perry Mason, call Judge Judy or Jeanine Pirro for advice on those pesky Latin terms and if all else fails, there is always Legal Zoom. No "Nolo Contendre" from this president. Believe me.
235
That's why he isn't --'er -- lying about there being no collusion. He must have done it all by himself!
1
Excellent!
Is anyone else tiring of Trump's high schoolish "I might/might not fire you" dramatics? This is what American leadership has come down to?
68
What could go wrong---dismissing competent attorney's and hiring the Fox legal team line up...this is the C team, no, that is too generous, versus the A team...
28
As if the reputation of lawyer’s couldn’t sink any lower.
32
Just wait until you see the sealed indictments that will be handed up with Muller's discharge papers.
21
Trump, arguably the most ignorant and least educated president (in terms of actually absorbing anything from his education), fancies himself cut in the same mold as Lincoln with his claims that he likes to have people of opposing viewpoints around. This of course like most things the liar in chief states is the opposite of the truth. In reality, he can't stand to be disagreed with and can't endure people telling him what to do - including lawyers. He is currently in full bloom now, cleaning house and surrounding himself with a cabinet equivalent of Fox news: a vast echo-chamber, devoid of original thought or dissenting view. In the end (which he senses is coming soon), it will just be Trump and a roomful of yes-men getting ready to face the cameras one last time as the cars drive up to haul him away to that big dust-bin in history.
115
It is entirely possible that Trump believes he didn't collude with Russia and is acting the way he is because he as a spoiled child. It is possible that the collusion was tacicit (don't be mean to Putin so I can build Trump Tower, Moscow). It is possible that he doesn't believe that lying to the American people about Russian interference was illegal or even wrong.
If this is the case, and Trump is behaving the way he is, and acting out the way he is, then he is not competent to stand trial, let alone sit as President. In short, the President is either guilty of far far more than what has been publicly revealed or he is mentally unfit for the presidency.
61
"In short, the President is either guilty of far far more than what has been publicly revealed or he is mentally unfit for the presidency." I submit that one does not preclude the other.
5
I'll go with mentally unfit, as in sociopathic. Sociopaths lie and think nothing of it, if it serves their interest at the moment. They will also steal from friends, and think nothing of it. Trump is a sociopath; and, that is a sad thing to say about the President of the United States.
4
This new guy speaks in gibberish. “Falsely created crime”? As opposed to a truly created crime? And this guy was a US Attorney? He must have been VERY well connected.
59
Are we taxpayers paying for the lawyers?
23
Don't count on Mueller. Not because he's a bad man; because Trump is a bad man.
Vote them out. All those who maintain a studied silence in the face of treasonous conduct: show them the door.
Gain control of the gavels and committees.
Subpoena the tax returns.
137
Trump's dishonest refusal to release his tax returns ("I can't, they're still being audited") was a huge red flag that Mitch McConnell deliberately chose to ignore. Trump lied about his tax returns during the campaign and after the election, and still hasn't made them public.
And in some crypt somewhere, the corpse of Richard Nixon is smiling.
3
Contrary to his constant proclamations of “witch hunt” and “no collusion,” it appears that someone is feeling the noose get tighter and tighter around his plump neck. People with nothing to hide, who have done nothing wrong, rarely go through multiple teams of lawyers. This is a sign not only of desperation, but of a difficult and irrational client who is simply unmanageable.
162
Having been a NYC commercial real estate lawyer for 36 years, I can confirm that Donald Trump has always been notorious in the industry for capriciously and impulsively hiring and firing a motley pantheon of aggressive, rapacious, truculent and near-sociopathic NYC lawyers and law firms. This pattern continues as before, the only difference being that he now controls the USA's nuclear weapons arsenal.
422
My question is: Have any of those myriad lawyers ever actually been paid ???
To those who lived through it, do you not think this resembles Nixon's increasing desperation during Watergate? The threats of firing, the actual firings of anybody who comes to close to the facts, the groping for any piece of driftwood that might keep the executive's head above water. I don't know about "collusion," but all of this looks a lot like obstruction of justice (and frantic attempts at hiding that obstruction) to me.
69
Yes, I lived thru Nixon. Trump is worse, much worse. Whereas Nixon had the decency and sense to go quietly into the nite, Trump will never leave until he is escorted out in handcuffs.
3
I adore seeing Trumpists bray that Trump shall emerge uber alles, because the man--who once bragged that he'd spent six weeks, "pouring dry wall," for his daddy's ill-paid construction company--enjoys a plethora of, and I quote, "street smarts."
18
Joseph E. diGenova sounds like a very clever guy...figuring out that the F.B.I. and D.O.J. are trying to falsely set up Trump for a make believe crime that never occurred. Why now I bet the F.B.I. set up all those meetings between Trumpites and the Russians as a 'just in case' backup scenario.
Pity that Comey's public statement that the F.B.I. was re-opening the Hillary email investigation right before the election makes him look like he purposefully swung things for Trump. Undoubtedly just a smoke screen to hide his and the F.B.I.'s undying support for Clinton. Soon Judge Judy will be leading the Trump legal team; then the chickens will begin to fly.
37
Hillary Clinton was worthy of our support, and got three million more votes than Trump, who is unworthy of our support, our sympathy or our attention.
4
Where are the Congressional Republicans? Are they really okay with all this? I suppose they are probably about to pass some horrifying legislation and they love all this drama that keeps us from seeing it. They just don't realize that without a functioning government and rule of law, even their horrible legislation will become meaningless. There's a reason dictator regimes hide their money in rule of law nations like ours.
35
You get the kind of counsel you deserve. And the kind of government.
20
Who pays for all these lawyers?
20
DJT pays now - then eventually anyone who buys his products/stays in his properties.
Great question.
How can an ordinary citizen find out?
I'll bet good money he isn't. He's infamous for stiffing his attorneys.
1
I just adore how you call him Mr Trump. Trump would be too English and consequently too cultural for him. The prospect of President still unimaginable for me
12
Trumpty Dumpty sat on a big southern border wall,
And then Trumpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's lawyers
And all his court jesters
Couldn't put Trumpty Dumpty
Back together again.
Sad.
143
Well, maybe he can get Mexico to pay for the lawyers?
2
Trump is playing three card Monte with the American public distracting everyone especially evangelicals from the real question with the porn star, did Trump pressure her to have an abortion.
53
Wouldn't that be the perfect popped cherry on the fake Christian cake ?!
33
Hopefully she gives it up. Would not be surprised though if Dumps 'subjects' give it the hypocritical pass, too. It's what they do.
With many, many thanks to Jim Unger:
Mr. Trump, please raise your right hand: Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Response: I swerve to smell da soup, da toll both, and nuts sing on da roof.
19
I'd hate to have to be the staffer who has to break the news of Matlock's death to Mr. President.
31
His current lawyers know the details of Trump's attempts to obstruct justice. They are thus a liability. More confusion and diversion is needed fast.
36
Musical lawyers. Let’s hope the music that will soon be playing is Trump’s D.C. swan song.
49
The real crime is that Trump is not interested in protecting free elections in our country. And then there are the Constitutional rights of the people. I don't think he understands or cares about any of that. Are letters to the NYT subject to the review of Cambridge Analytics?
30
I've gotten to the point where I've almost stopped reading about this Administration, because the revolving door is spinning so fast, I can't keep track of the players anymore.
16
The richest people in DC these days are those who install revolving doors.
It seems that President Trump's problems grow by the day. And his urge to solve these problems by echoing his trademark line of "you're fired" from the Apprentice accelerates at the same rate. Except he's firing people faster than he can onboard their replacements, and what worries me is not even so much that he will be surrounded by rookies as that he will be surrounded by nobody. I have this horror movie image in my mind of the President of the United States locked all alone in a bathroom of the White House doing nothing but sending out tweets and watching Fox News.
Those concerned about President Trump have tended to discuss how he might be impeached, but maybe a more likely end game would come through the 25th Amendment, which talks about what happens when it is determined that our president is "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office."
50
He already is!
An innocent person would allow a thorough investigation to take place in order to get themselves exhonerated. Donald J. Trump obviously fears the truth coming out, so is desperately trying to twart the investigation from taking place, because he KNOWS he is guilty of a host of crimes.
140
He seems to have problems filling all those positions at the State Dept but not on his legal team. Still only thinking about himself.
29
Remember that there are multiple fronts to this investigation: whether Trump and the campaign conspired ("colluded") with Russia to influence the election; improper foreign influence on policy and quid pro quo arrangements during the transition and the administration; obstruction of justice; and financial crimes such as money laundering. Any or all of these could be fodder for the questions to Trump and are a potential minefield for his lying and obfuscation. My money is on the financial crimes and obstruction. I think the quid pro quo and collusion happened but might be harder to prove.
61
Trump can hire the best lawyers that money can buy. But they are no match for the truth.
119
Trump has already tried to hire the best lawyers that money can buy. They wouldn't work for him because as one of them said, ‘The guy won’t pay and he won’t listen,'”
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/the-guy-wontpay-and-he-wont-listen-...
6
Didn’t the president reassure Rex Tillerson that his job was safe? We know how that ended. And Rob Porter was told his job was also safe, even after the president knew of Porter’s domestic abuse issues. Now Ty Cobb is waiting for the ax to fall, although he was told his job was safe. The president doesn’t need to shake up his legal team at all. He just needs to tell the truth to the Special Prosecutor. Why dance between the raindrops if there’s nothing to hide?
The rule of law and justice cannot be rushed simply to satisfy the president. He is not above the law and like any ordinary citizen he must let the sands of justice run through the hourglass in its own good time. Since the president is boasting about being a two-term president, he’s planning to be around for a while, so what’s the hurry?
The president is inviting legal jeopardy by playing musical chairs with his lawyers. He has already dismissed several White House aides who fell out of favor with him. No competent attorney can save the president from himself because all he desires is for Robert Mueller to go away and changing attorneys by the week will not bring him peace of mind. It's a wonder that any competent attorney would want to represent him.
93
this circus has gone on for too long
180
Like 1995 OJ Trail.
It would be entirely insane for Trump to fire the grown-ups on his legal team and put the wing-nut conspiracy theorist diGenova in charge.
At the same time, it shouldn't surprise anyone if Trump does just that.
163
Paragr. 8: "Little evidence has emerged to support that theory."
"No credible evidence has emerged to support that theory."
Fixed it for you.
350
“Not a scintilla of evidence has emerged to support the whack job conspiracy theory originating from Russian trolls.”
Fixed it for you.
Just wait for Trump to say one of his team is "a fine man." That guy is toast.
120
We think this is an impotent man in a panic. Insecure. Frantic. Not feeling his oats as POTUS, but out of his depth, guilty, crazy, rejected by his wife and worried about his financial future. Used to being able to secure his status with branding and beautiful women, being now called on the carpet by men with morals, not feeling the love and confused about what was or wasn't criminal behavior. Trying to deliver to his millionaire peers - similarly unattractive old gits with money, expected to deliver, braying to the base.
What a mess. We wish him the worst. Every Trump looks good in orange.
494
Rejected by his wife? Don't you have that backward...?
2
Well said.
5
she's supposed to pretend - she's not playing by the trophy rules
2
It's like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic. Sad.
131
Or the Hindenburg.
Or as Stephen Colbert said about the George W. Bush administration in 2006: "Some people say changing the cabinet around is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. That's not true; this administration isn't sinking. In fact, this administration is soaring; if anything, it's like rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg."
Trump has finally found his Roy Cohn, just not as clever.
61
I find it nearly impossible to imagine anyone of competence, honor, patriotism, and with any degree of self-respect working for Trump in any capacity but least of all as a legal representative.
450
That's an interesting thought. Why would someone accept the job - esp. given that those mentioned are or have been high-profile. Is it because they actually believe they can vindicate him? They want to be written about in history books & case law as the most self-defeating advocates ever? Lots of possibilities to ponder.
8
He's doing to his legal team what he has done elsewhere: fire the competent people because they tell him what he doesn't want to hear and hire sycophants that will assure him he's the smartest person in the room. I once had a horse that was very hard-headed, like No. 45, and I recommend the same cure: Just let him run until he's exhausted and realizes he's the reason he's in a world of hurt. There is a difference between No. 45 & that horse, however: The horse figured out he had done it to himself and eventually wised up.
40
They're lawyers, are you kidding?
8
“It’s never a good idea to see legal teams change dramatically and for competent lawyers to be replaced by others.”
President Trump has received the questions from Mueller. Trump knows what Mueller is interested in.
There are rumors (reported by Axios) that the questions indicate that Mueller is interested in obstruction, not as much in collusion, and he is more focused on post election events than those during the campaign.
Trump is making changes, getting those with legal expertise in areas that Mueller is interested in, and firing others he has no need for.
Trump is being street smart. Unlike these "long time legal analysts." That is why Trump will prevail in the end.
Street smarts might work in a brawl. We think Mueller has smarts in every arena.
We wouldn't presume to guess which crime he'll pin on Trump.
74
He sure is acting like he did something wrong. Most innocent people don't act this way. He will probably be in trouble for Obstruction of Justice.
30
Anybody who'd rather have Donald John Trump have his back in a dark alley, as opposed to Robert Mueller, is a fool.
47
" Reshuffling Legal Team ". The Medical equivalent would be getting a second or tenth opinion, while the patient is in the Morgue, awaiting autopsy. Just saying.
214
Reminds me of this:
* Lawyer: "Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?"
* Witness: "No."
* Lawyer: "Did you check for blood pressure?"
* Witness: "No."
* Lawyer: "Did you check for breathing?"
* Witness: "No."
* Lawyer: "So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?"
* Witness: "No."
* Lawyer: "How can you be so sure, Doctor?"
* Witness: "Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar."
* Lawyer: "But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?"
* Witness: "Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere."
3
Trump's latest tweets and actions clearly demonstrate that he is planning to eliminate the Special Prosecutor, sooner rather than later. Republicans have demonstrated over and over again that while they may promise to act if and when this happens, they will do nothing. The only question now is, when this firing takes place, what will we, as American citizens, do?
281
Take to the streets!!!
2
It will clearly be time to storm the Bastille.
1
Mueller already has the goods - in spades.
He is just now adding the icing and doing a spell check. Despite the appointment of the feckless Sessions, the DOJ is still predominantly comprised of dispassionate lawyers who know that we are a nation of laws, not men.
Rosenstein will have been briefed and can deliver the Mueller findings. If not him then his deputy.
Trump will have to removes the entire DOJ to prevent his malfeasance and sleazy doings from coming to light.
Does Trump really think he can fire his way out of this conundrum? Is he so delusional that he believes he is still on the set of The Apprentice? He can reshuffle, reconfigure and reset his legal team until the cows come home, but the net net is this; he's going down!
294
I agree, if he did the crime, he deserves to do the time. In this case, the crimes will probably be related to money launder and tax evasion which are objectively easier to prove than the subjectively deniable crime of collusion. A lot of the Trump base will brush off evidence of collusion rationalizing that it was just a means to an end, with the end being Clinton’s defeat. The ends justify the means. But not many people are going to look kindly on a serial tax cheat.
20
Trump has no real choice, it is all he knows; the way he is wired. Good, bad, or other. Trump will continue duck, dodge and intimidate because he knows no other way.
17
Collusion is not a crime. Conspiracy is.
5
And nary a mention of Stephanie Clifford? Which Trump attorney is on that case?
99
David Dennison, Esquire?
36
Ms. Clifford may be the one in position to do him the greatest harm. I can just imagine her on national TV, one of those tabloid shows that comes on after the network news, holding up two fingers about an inch and a half apart and saying "It's about this long." She won't have to mention any names; everybody will understand because the context has already been provided. He'll have either a heart attack or stroke, perhaps both. Pete McGuire, Atlanta
28
Yes, she apparently does know all the requisite positions.
1