President Donald Trump has privately told close associates he needs better “TV lawyers” to defend him publicly from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
A Washington Post report based on 22 unnamed sources from the White House, Justice Department, and “Trump confidants and attorneys connected to the probe” describes the president as fighting “for survival” because of the probe while plotting his next moves with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
“Trump gripes that he needs better ‘TV lawyers’ to defend him on cable news and is impatient to halt the “witch hunt” that he says undermines his legitimacy as president,” the report said.
Giuliani joined the president’s legal team at the end of last month, while the report comes as the special counsel investigation enters into its second year this week.
“We’re on the same wavelength. We’ve gone from defense to offense,” Giuliani said to the Post for its report.
A confidant told the Post that the president shows frustration about the FBI raids on his personal attorney Michael Cohen “as often as 20 times a day.” The FBI raided Cohen’s home, office, and hotel room last month, seizing emails, tax documents, and records related to his $130,000 payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels.
“Attorney-Client privilege is now a thing of the past,” Trump tweeted one day after the raid. “I have many (too many!) lawyers and they are probably wondering when their offices, and even homes, are going to be raided with everything, including their phones and computers, taken. All lawyers are deflated and concerned!”
The Post’s report paints a picture of “disarray and defiance” in the White House.
“The Mueller operation, like the former Marine Corps platoon commander who leads it, is secretive and methodical,” it reads. “Ten blocks west in the White House, President Trump combats the probe with bluster, disarray, and defiance as he scrambles for survival.”
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