All signs indicate a Trump operation seeking vengeance and accountability from critics it says maligned the president over the Russia investigation
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and his allies signaled Monday that they intend to use the broad conclusions of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation – which found no criminal conspiracy with Russia to influence the 2016 election – to forcefully attack perceived opponents they say unfairly accused the president of wrongdoing.
While Trump and his allies have portrayed Attorney General William Barr’s summary of Mueller’s findings as a complete vindication of the president, Barr made it clear that the special counsel was not exonerating the president and that details of his report, if made public, could prove troublesome for Trump. Mueller’s work led to criminal charges against 34 people, including six former Trump associates and advisers, and showed that Russia sought to influence the election and help Trump.
A campaign adviser said there was a plan to target Schiff repeatedly, and that Republican National Committee and campaign officials had extensively reviewed television and other footage for some of Schiff’s and other Democrats’ most “egregious” comments. Conway said in an interview that Democratic lawmakers may face the strongest blowback. “Elected officials especially bear the brunt of any public recrimination since they have sworn an oath to the Constitution to uphold the law, not invent it as they go along, politicize it or pretend it doesn’t protect the innocent or uncharged,” she said. “This was less a legal exercise than a political hit job.
“I just am cautious. The election is a long way away,” Giuliani said. “This is a big, big plus. A lot of things are going to happen between now and the election. There’s a long way between now and then, and the issues are going to change.” The president and his lawyers had not seen the full report as of Monday night, and a number of House Democratic investigations – including into whether Trump meddled in the security-clearance process and his personal interactions with Russia President Vladimir Putin, where he reportedly urged a translator to destroy notes – could still pose threats to the president.
“I think that many in the media and most on the left will continue to be a foil for the president in his re-election campaign as we move toward 2020, and quite frankly those who participated in this mess deserve it,” said Jason Miller, a former 2016 Trump campaign adviser.
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