Why is Trump Suddenly Playing Dumb about Wikileaks?

Trump’s dramatic reversal is not surprising. As was made clear throughout the course of the Mueller investigation (which resulted in over 30 indictments of individuals and organizations, many of which were intimately enmeshed in Trump’s campaign), the president is quick to distance himself from anyone who finds themselves in legal trouble. After Paul Manafort, who served as Trump’s campaign chairman for three months, was found guilty of several federal crimes last August, Trump claimed he barely knew him. “I didn’t know Manafort well,” Trump told Fox News. “He wasn’t with the campaign very long.”