The coming storm against Donald Trump
Donald Trump may be able to fool himself into believing that everything is fine. He may even be able to fool a small percentage of the American people through his bullying and bluster and bravado that everything is fine. But the Special Counsel’s investigation into his 2016 campaign, and his personal finances, is not going away. Thfe people around Trump see a disaster approaching, even if he can’t.
GOP strategist Alex Castellanos said in an interview on ABC’s This Week that Trump needs to “get good legal help now because the storm is coming.” He went on to say that it is hard to believe that Robert Mueller won’t come up with evidence of wrongdoing involving Trump. Many other prominent Republicans also believe that Trump needs to get his legal strategy in order. Former CIA officer Phil Mudd warned the Commander-In-Chief that Mueller “will crush you” if he is not prepared.
Unfortunately for Donald Trump, at the same time he is being urged to hire good lawyers, the top legal firms in this country are refusing to represent him. Just in the last couple of weeks, his calls for help have been turned down by such eminent attorneys as Emmett Flood, Robert Giuffra, Brendan Sullivan, the law firm of Winston and Strawn, the legal team of Joseph diGenova and his wife Victoria Toensing, and former solicitor general Ted Olsen. Olsen famously said of Trump’s situation, “This is turmoil, it’s chaos, it’s confusion, it’s not good for anything.” And these are just the rejections that we know about.
Even more problematic for Donald Trump, more and more Republican leaders are suddenly calling for the protection of the Mueller investigation, as well as asking Trump to dial back his criticisms and “witch hunt” rhetoric. This is a major shift in tone from the GOP. They know that there is trouble on the horizon and they need to be hedging their bets. Donald Trump may be able to fool himself for a while longer, but those around the president see dark clouds and know that the storm that is on its way may just wash away the entire administration before it is over.
Gordon is a writer and part-time rock star with degrees in history and literature and a devastating smile.