The incendiary language of the Higgins memo was matched by comments from CNN counterterrorism analyst Philip Mudd, a Trump critic who served as deputy to Robert Mueller when he was FBI director. During an interview Thursday afternoon with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, Mudd declared that the opposition to Trump within the intelligence apparatus, focused on his allegedly pro-Russian policy, was so intense that "Government is going to kill this guy."
Mudd pointed to the vicious character of the pre-dawn raid on Manafort, saying this was a demonstration directed at Trump himself.
Meanwhile Trump's political standing among Senate Republicans continues to deteriorate. The Senate adjourned last week for its summer recess, after agreeing by unanimous consent to hold pro-forma sessions during the August break, at which one senator will convene the body and then immediately adjourn.
The purpose of this ritual is to avoid an actual recess of more than 10 days, the period required for the president to be able to make a recess appointment. Numerous senators advocated this procedure to prevent Trump from firing Attorney General Jeff Sessions and making a recess appointment of a replacement who would, under Supreme Court precedent, be able to serve until the next Congress convenes in January 2019.
The concern is that Trump would fire Sessions and name a replacement who would take control of the Russia investigation, from which Sessions has recused himself, or even fire special counsel Mueller, replace him, or shut down the investigation altogether.
Following the adjournment, Trump has engaged in a series of Twitter attacks on Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, for the collapse of Obamacare repeal legislation and other failings, an extraordinary public conflict between a president and the Senate leader of his own party.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
