Donald Trump’s lawyers are in total chaos
In fairness to Donald Trump’s lawyers, their client is mentally unstable and profoundly guilty. Still, one has to wonder why they’re even still on the job. They clearly can’t control their lunatic client, who makes his own defense that much harder each time he opens his mouth. Yesterday Trump made a point of telling reporters that he can’t wait to speak with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and that he wants to do it under oath. Oops.
That’s a problem when you’re A) guilty, B) too erratic to stick with the script your lawyers have given you, and C) clinically compelled to lie under oath in a manner which will get you nailed. Last night, Trump’s lawyer Ty Cobb feverishly tried to walk Trump’s remarks back, asserting that Trump would ultimately decide whether to meet with Mueller based on the advice of his legal team. Today, Trump’s other lawyer John Dowd announced that he will make the decision on whether or not Trump meets with Mueller (link). But that’s not how any of this works either.
Robert Mueller will decide whether he wants to question Donald Trump. If Trump tries to object, a federal judge will then decide if Trump is legally compelled to sit for questioning. Trump’s only option would then be to show up and respond to every question by invoking the Fifth Amendment. That would destroy him politically. It also wouldn’t prevent Mueller from taking him down, as Mueller will still have insider testimony from Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions and others.
Donald Trump’s lawyers are in chaos, and for good reason. Trump has no good options remaining. All his attorneys can do is try to decide whether to feed him to the wolves or feed him to the coyotes. Even then, he’s going to find a way to erratically botch their advice. Trump is likely to end up feeding himself to the legal wolves and the political coyotes at the same time.
