Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in last year's Presidential election and the possibility of collusion with the Trump campaign took a far more serious turn after a grand jury convened. However, a report by Bloomberg Politics claims that The President and his advisors are now mulling over how they might discredit the probe if it does not lead to a favorable verdict for the Trump campaign.
A devious plan
The news about the formation of a grand jury must not have come as good news for the president and during a rally in West Virginia this week he revealed his hand.
Trump seemed to indicate that if the verdict does not vindicate him then it should be considered demeaning to American democracy. It is clearly a devious ploy to completely discredit the investigation. He said, “They’re trying to cheat you out of the leadership that you won with a fake story that is demeaning to all of us and most importantly demeaning to our country and demeaning to our Constitution. I just hope the final determination is a truly honest one.” The crowd cheered.
It is quite clear that the president is now on the offensive regarding this investigation. According to reports, he might also give the whole investigation a political color in order to rally his supporters and save his closest aides.
The federal grand jury is believed to be investigating several close aides of the President and their links to Russia. For instance, the President's son-in-law Jared Kushner is already a person of interest.
.@JudgeJeanine: There will be an uproar in this country if they end up with an indictment against a Trump family member just to get at POTUS pic.twitter.com/tm10kRA2Ws
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) August 4, 2017
It is underway
The campaign to discredit the investigation is already underway if the president's Twitter feed is anything to go by.
Yesterday, Trump shared a tweet (above) by Fox & Friends, which stated that there would be an 'uproar in the country' if any member of the president's family ends up getting an indictment. The President has been scathing about the investigation in the past and once called the whole thing a 'witch hunt'. However, the latest offensive is a concerted effort to ensure that the whole thing stands discredited even before a verdict is announced.
Over the past month or so, Mueller's investigation has expanded in scope. There have been reports suggesting that Russian links to Trump's business transactions are also under investigation. In such a situation, it is no wonder that the president feels a bit cornered and is fighting back in the only way that he is used to. Revelations of Donald Trump Jr.'s meetings with the Russian lawyer have not helped matters either.
