I mentioned that Trump has no legal strategy or defense.
@sdterp pointed out that Trump has lots of lawyers & looking for more, so he must be preparing for a legal battle.
I suspect he'll never have a traditional legal defense. Here's why.
Remember “I have nothing to do with Russia, folks.” Oct. 2016.
And all those denials about business deals in Russia? theweek.com/speedreads/810…
Plus Trump keeps obstructing justice (a crime) right there in plain sight.
He came right out and said he will “fight back” against the Mueller probe! (obstruct) politico.com/story/2018/04/…
washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/…
nbcnews.com/politics/donal…
You can’t prepare a traditional legal defense while intimidating witnesses, obstructing justice, changing the story each time new evidence emerges, etc.
I believe there’s method to the madness (can happen at the same times as actual madness)
I argued last Aug. that Trump has a 4 part plan to beat the Mueller probe:
1: Cultivate a cult of leadership
2. Create a world in which facts don’t matter (because if facts don’t matter, jury verdicts and the results of investigations have no meaning),
3. Persuade people that ALL politicians are dishonest (which makes going after Trump political)
More here⤵️
I’m not seeing any of that changing. In fact, as Mueller is closing in, Trump and Giuliani are bearing down on each of those four. They're lying more, more rapidly changing their stories, etc.
Let’s look more closely.
Early last year, Bob Bauer made the astute observation that Trump uses lawyers to find a way around the law while providing him with a veil of deniability. lawfareblog.com/president-and-…
Michael Cohen was a "fixer" who did things like secretly pay hush money to porn stars. And that’s evidently just the beginning.
That didn't change after he became President.
Remember how enraged he was when Sessions recused himself, even though the law specifically required him to do so?
law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/28/45…
washingtonpost.com/news/worldview… …
In the 1980s, Reagan’s staff commissioned a study on mob lawyers and organized crime: “Renegade lawyers” launder illegally obtained money, orchestrate perjured testimony, bribe officials, etc.
nytimes.com/1985/03/12/us/…
Giuliani knows that Rule 4.1 forbids a lawyer from making false statements of facts. It’s basic bar exam stuff. Does that stop him? Of course not. He works for Trump.
americanbar.org/groups/profess…
People who know Emmet Flood are shocked that a smart lawyer seems to be staying on with Trump.
“But he’s a smart lawyer!”
My response: authoritarianism & intelligence are not mutually exclusive.
Oh, and apparently Flood donated to the Trump campaign in Sept. 2016.
law.com/nationallawjou…
Trump (it seems to me) looks for lawyers willing to torpedo rule of law. Yes, they’re out there.
I don’t expect any fundamental changes in Trump’s character or methods.
We can expect more of the same.
No, of course not—if we can stay focused and not wear ourselves out with the constant crisis and spectacle.
But things may get crazier before we get out of this.