No, this is not turmoil or conflict, right?
No, when Trump said he had no intention of shaking up his legal team, you shouldn’t have believed him.
Actually, Trump said his legal team was strong and he wouldn’t be making changes. It probably should matter to some folks that he said that – just before adding Joe diGenova – a Fox News guest who spoke the unintelligible language of Trump’s heart. He drooled out conspiracy theory nonsense about a “plot” by the FBI and U.S. intelligence to bring down the Trump administration.
DiGenova is just the kind of irrational bomb thrower Trump thinks will make the difference on his legal team, as he’s faced with a subpoena on his business associations and an impending face-off with special counsel Robert Mueller.
Previously, the biggest nut on Trump’s legal team would probably be the guy considered the “top lawyer,” John Dowd.
Dowd drew some uncomfortable scrutiny this past weekend, when he suggested to a reporter from the Daily Beast that the time was right to shut down Mueller’s investigation. At that time, he said that as Trump’s attorney, he was speaking on behalf of his client.
He later backpedaled and said that he was only speaking for himself.
The news of diGenova’s hiring was said to have rankled Dowd, who saw it as Trump’s attempt to replace him.
Well, it must have gotten to him.
Two people briefed on the matter told The New York Times that Dowd, who is Trump’s lead lawyer for special counsel Robert Mueller‘s investigation into Russian election interference, resigned Thursday.
It’s an interesting development, and could speak to a radical change in how Trump approaches the ongoing investigation.
Trump added diGenova after addressing Mueller and attacking his probe by name, last week. This is something he’s been counseled against by his team, but apparently, he’s no longer taking their advice.
Dowd may have been trying to please his client with his own response to that Daily Beast reporter.
What’s more, Trump loyalists and clingers, such as American Pravda’s Sean Hannity, and Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert are also ratcheting up their attacks on Mueller.
Could it be the start of a propaganda campaign to pave the way for firing Mueller?
Highly possible and highly inadvisable.
It will be interesting to see how the remaining members of Trump’s legal team, White House counsel Don McGahn, Jay Sekulow, and Ty Cobb respond to Dowd’s exit.
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