In a chaotic administration, this week could be one for the books – and it’s not even half done
If Donald Trump is to be believed when he claims his White House has “no Chaos, only great Energy,” this week may well be the most energetic of his presidency.
Trump has seen the departure of top National Security Council staff amid discussions of a possible military strike on Syria. His Environmental Protection Agency chief continues weathering a daily drip of ethics violation allegations. His personal lawyer was raided by the FBI. He canceled a long-planned foreign trip. And he opened a meeting with military leaders with a 700-word tirade against the prosecutor investigating him and his associates ― and then acknowledged he is considering firing him.
And it is only Tuesday.
“It’s unadulterated madness. But because it happens so often, it tends to become the norm,” said John Weaver, who joked that the last few days could set a low-water mark for an “infrastructure week” ― Washington shorthand for times when the White House has attempted to set a coherent message, only to see it descend into bedlam.
Weaver, who ran Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s presidential campaign in the 2016 GOP primaries, was among a number of prominent Republicans who warned that a Trump presidency would be unending chaos because of Trump’s basic character. He said special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe was completely predictable, given Trump’s behavior. “So please stop with the ‘witch hunt,’” Weaver said.
Trump started using that phrase to describe the investigation more than a year ago, and last month escalated it to the all-capital “WITCH HUNT.” On Tuesday morning Trump took it up another notch still: “A TOTAL WITCH HUNT!!!”
But the president’s protestations notwithstanding, Mueller’s probe of possible collusion by Trump’s campaign with the Russian spy agencies that helped him win the election has already produced guilty pleas from five people and criminal charges against 14 others. Among those who have pleaded guilty are Trump’s original national security adviser and his deputy campaign chairman. Among those facing charges are Trump’s former campaign chairman and 13 Russians who worked to hurt Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and to help Trump.
On Monday, the probe expanded to include Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and “fixer,” Michael Cohen, whose offices were searched.
In the days leading up to the 2016 election, Cohen had worked to buy the silence of two women who say they had had affairs with Trump. Documents show that prosecutors are interested in that effort as well as, unrelatedly, Cohen’s handling of New York City taxi medallions.
