It seems that Trump and Giuliani's relationship is on the rocks. The President of the United States (POTUS) has been entwined in the Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller. The aim of the probe is to determine whether or not the Russians meddled in the 2016 presidential election, and if there was any collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians. And, if so, how.
The importance of the Russian probe cannot be understated. Meddling in any US election would be an infringement and assault on the Democratic system upon which the US was founded.
And to be clear, since taking office, the POTUS has adamantly denied any collusion with Russia and has been obstructing the Mueller investigation.
Chatterbox help
It isn't just the Russia investigation that has caused Donald stress, but multiple sexual harassment and defamation lawsuits from women of his past, plus the highly publicized non-disclosure agreement (NDA) lawsuit by the adult film actress Stormy Daniels. All of this on top of trying to successfully achieve his agenda for the country.
So what does one do when facing these kinds of pressures? Phone a friend.
Trump reached out to longtime friend and former NYC Mayor, Rudy Giuliani for help. He was on Trump's legal team for less than two weeks before giving scheduled, and impromptu, interviews on Hannity, FOX & Friends, ABC, Justice with Judge Janine, The Wall Street Journal and several others.
It should also be noted that Donald and Rudy privately discussed the media tour, down to the talking points, before and after Rudy's appearances.
When the shocking interviews aired, most of America watched in horror, begging Rudy through their televisions to just be quiet. Rudy spewed salacious-contradictory admissions of foreknowledge and repayment of hush monies.
This is something Trump and his administration previously denied. Giuliani also implied the President would possibly take the Fifth if questioned by Mueller and even commented on foreign affairs with Iran and North Korea--two heated and divisive issues in the global community right now.
A house united
According to the New York Times, there wasn't any real pushback from the President initially but when Rudy's truth-telling interviews garnered responses and ill reviews, Trump proved to not be a happy camper.
On Monday (May 7) a White House official told CNN that Giuliani's representation of the President was a "little charade" and if Rudy didn't change his behavior he wouldn't last very long. So now that everyone knows, and it's been confirmed that Trump was lying about Stormy Daniels and intricacies of the campaign, more pressure has mounted.
Since Rudy's first interviews, the President and the White House staff have been upset, but for different reasons. CNN sources familiar with the situation said that behind closed doors, the President believes Rudy is causing more headaches. Donald is especially upset about a sound byte that played across networks about the possibility of him pleading the Fifth when everyone knows that Trump is against taking the Fifth as it makes one look guilty, even if they are innocent.
White House staffers' dismay came when it was discovered Trump and Giuliani had their own communication strategy team of two. The legal team was also left out of the planned conversations, and no one knew about the media tour or what was to be said in the interviews.
So when Giuliani appeared on TV contradicting what the President and White House had been saying for months, the staff was left feeling 'blindsided.' And since the public's reaction to Rudy has been one of bewilderment, White House staffers, as well as many Americans, question Rudy's mental faculties and the last time he practiced law, according to CNN reports.
Internal deadline
Trump trusted his friend to address the problems in the Russia probe.
The strategy was to take a more aggressive approach with the special counsel and solve existing problems, not create new ones. But he did. This may be the primary reason why Rudy's media tour has ended, although America should expect him to return, just not in volume.
In the meantime, Trump's legal team has targeted May 17 as a due date to decide if Trump will sit down with Mueller, according to the Wall Street Journal. CNN political strategists and legal analysts both agree the POTUS and his team need a constitutional strategy if they are not going to speak to Mueller's team voluntarily. But at this juncture, it appears the Russia road leads to a courtroom and a Grand Jury, without attorneys, including Rudy.
