May 29, 2018

Trump Finally Tweets Some Good Advice for Himself on Russia Probe

“Sorry.”

Chris Kleponis/ZUMA

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After indulging in his usual habit of blasting the special counsel’s Russia investigation as a “Rigged Witch Hunt” in a series of early-morning tweets, President Donald Trump on Tuesday appeared to briefly acknowledge that there might be better ways to spend his time. In a follow-up tweet, the president sarcastically apologized, before listing more consequential policy items, such as North Korea nuclear negotiations and the still-vacant Veterans Affair secretary post, that require his attention.

Despite the quasi-admission on Tuesday, Trump is unlikely to quit his near-obsessive tweets railing against special counsel Robert Mueller and the investigation into ties between his campaign and Russia. Nor is it probable that Trump will abandon conspiracy theories designed to undercut investigators.

The president’s latest false narrative—that an FBI informant illegally spied on his presidential campaign for political purposes—is likely to stick around for a while, after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein last week agreed to expand an existing investigation to look into Trump’s allegation. The decision was roundly criticized for indulging Trump’s deliberate misrepresentations. 

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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