Looks like even CNN knows what Brad doesn't
The biggest misconception surrounding the special counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election is that it will likely end in some sort of legal proceeding involving President Donald Trump.
It won't -- for a bunch of reasons, the most important of which is that Robert Mueller, who is running the investigation, doesn't seem to believe a sitting President can be indicted.
The much more likely outcome is that Mueller releases the findings from his investigation sometime this fall — and lets the chips, as they relate to Trump, fall where they may.
Which means — and this is what Trump and Rudy Giuliani have understood for months — that, ultimately, this isn't a legal fight, it's a public relations one.
And in the court of public opinion -- particularly given the fealty that rank-and-file Republicans have shown (and continue to show) to Trump, the comparison is far more favorable to Trump's side.
Quick, do this thought experiment: Name the first 10 words that come to mind when someone says "Mueller probe."
If you are being honest with yourself, my guess is that the words "no collusion," "witch hunt" and maybe even "13 Angry Democrats" made it into that top 10. What that means is that even if you roll your eyes when you hear "no collusion," it seeps into your consciousness — and that's a win for Trump.
Especially when you consider that lots and lots of people aren't rolling their eyes when Trump unleashes a tweet blasting the allegedly partisan bias of Mueller's team or how the whole probe is based on false pretenses.
Remember that a big chunk of people already believe — before Mueller has released a single final finding — that his whole probe is a partisan witch hunt that should never have been started in the first place. Short of Mueller producing an email from Trump saying "Yes, let's collude with Russia ASAP!" those people will not change their view.
That's the secret Trump and Giuliani know -- and have been executing against for months. And like it or not, it's working.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/31/politics/donald-trump-rudy-giuliani/index.html
The biggest misconception surrounding the special counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election is that it will likely end in some sort of legal proceeding involving President Donald Trump.
It won't -- for a bunch of reasons, the most important of which is that Robert Mueller, who is running the investigation, doesn't seem to believe a sitting President can be indicted.
The much more likely outcome is that Mueller releases the findings from his investigation sometime this fall — and lets the chips, as they relate to Trump, fall where they may.
Which means — and this is what Trump and Rudy Giuliani have understood for months — that, ultimately, this isn't a legal fight, it's a public relations one.
And in the court of public opinion -- particularly given the fealty that rank-and-file Republicans have shown (and continue to show) to Trump, the comparison is far more favorable to Trump's side.
Quick, do this thought experiment: Name the first 10 words that come to mind when someone says "Mueller probe."
If you are being honest with yourself, my guess is that the words "no collusion," "witch hunt" and maybe even "13 Angry Democrats" made it into that top 10. What that means is that even if you roll your eyes when you hear "no collusion," it seeps into your consciousness — and that's a win for Trump.
Especially when you consider that lots and lots of people aren't rolling their eyes when Trump unleashes a tweet blasting the allegedly partisan bias of Mueller's team or how the whole probe is based on false pretenses.
Remember that a big chunk of people already believe — before Mueller has released a single final finding — that his whole probe is a partisan witch hunt that should never have been started in the first place. Short of Mueller producing an email from Trump saying "Yes, let's collude with Russia ASAP!" those people will not change their view.
That's the secret Trump and Giuliani know -- and have been executing against for months. And like it or not, it's working.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/31/politics/donald-trump-rudy-giuliani/index.html
