Donald Trump could learn a thing or two from Bill “Teflon Don” Clinton.
As the President’s hand-picked team inundates the media with stories and strategies that range from far-fetched to grossly contradictory, Trump himself mans his twitter feed to spread so much disinformation, that CNN would be smart to start labeling his twitter account as the largest purveyor of “Fake News.”
In Trump’s latest twitter-storm, the President strongly asserted:
As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2018
But that’s unequivocally false.
At best, an absolutely question lingers as to whether or not a sitting president can pardon himself.
That question stems from a legal opinion released in 1974 by the Department of Justice in relation to Richard Nixon.
Trump didn’t stop there and released yet another tweet that has no basis in law or fact:
The appointment of the Special Counsel is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Despite that, we play the game because I, unlike the Democrats, have done nothing wrong!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2018
The law on the books states, “the Attorney General, or in cases in which the Attorney General is recused, the Acting Attorney General, will appoint a Special Counsel when he or she determines that criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted and that investigation or prosecution of matter by a United States Attorney’s Office or litigating Division of the Department of Justice would present a conflict of interested for the Department or other extraordinary circumstances . . .”
The Special Counsel law serves us well in the event of a sitting president refusing to hold a smidgen of integrity and is willing to break the law to commit a crime or avoid the discovery of one.
Kenneth Star served us well in the investigation of Bill Clinton, leading to his impeachment.
In 1973, Archibald Cox served as special prosecutor to investigate the Watergate Scandal. Cox was fired by Nixon during the “Saturday Night Massacre” with a court ruling nearly a month later that the dismissal had been illegal.
To make matters worse, Trump’s newest legal team member, Rudy Giuliani, is making the rounds in the press making absolutely absurd statements that appear to be pulled out of a Cracker Jack box filed with an impeachment surprise.
On Meet the Press this past Sunday, Giuliani claimed regarding the Mueller investigation, “You can’t interfere with the president’s time, his effort or his concentration.”
The former Mayor and presidential candidate then repeated the false assertion that a president can pardon himself . . . although Giuliani did admit that Trump would most likely be “immediately impeached” if he tried such a thing.
Back to the opening statement of this column . . .
How can Donald Trump learn from Bill Clinton?
Donald Trump needs to shut his mouth and calm his twitter fingers.
You may recall Bill Clinton’s complete radio silence during the Lewinsky scandal.
That silence served to choke off commentary, criticism and speculation.
The move outraged conservatives at the time but silence was the Clinton’s most effective tool that serves them well to this day.
Rather than employing a Clintonesque strategy, Trump and his team continue to pointlessly feed the beast with statements that are easily debunked at best, and at worst, laughed at by a growing portion of America.
It’s only a matter of time before Donald Trump jumps the shark with the majority of his own base as they realize that integrity may not be a value that he holds dear . . . or holds at all.
