At times, focus on press was a blessing for Trump; at other times, it was a burden
ANALYSIS — Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller’s investigation of the Trump White House reveals a presidency calibrated to drive and respond to media coverage of itself. Though unconventional, Donald Trump’s unique approach helped save his presidency.
At several critical points of his turbulent term, Mueller found that Trump — who once cold-called New York reporters claiming to be a public relations agent named “John Barron” to promote his real estate ventures — was mostly focused on responding to negative press reports or trying to generate positive ones. When the president took several questionable actions, the former FBI director concluded, it was because he was focused on a “press strategy” — and misleading or even lying to reporters is not a crime.
This pattern of presidential behavior is part of the web that led Mueller to conclude the evidence before him fell short of proving Trump’s intent in relation to his investigation was to obstruct justice. It is part of the reason his much-anticipated report does not plainly state the president obstructed the probe even though it does not exonerate Trump.
View the complete April 19 article by John T. Bennett on The Roll Call website here.