As Judd Legum points out at Think Progress, on May 10th Vice-President Mike Pence said that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is “a man of extraordinary independence and integrity and a reputation in both political parties of great character.” Also on May 10th, Deputy White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that Rosenstein “is a man of upstanding character and essentially the gold standard at the Department of Justice.” And on May 11th, President Trump said of Rosenstein that “He’s highly respected, very good guy, very smart guy. The Democrats like him; the Republicans like him.”
So, what does Trump say about Rosenstein now that he’s appointed Robert Mueller to prosecute any crimes related to the Trump campaign’s coordination with Russian meddling in our presidential election?
This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2017
Then he added in the obligatory “woe is me” tweet:
With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special counsel appointed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2017
As everyone knows, you can identify a witch because witches are made of wood. Since wood floats on water, as do ducks, if all the allegations against Trump weigh the same as a duck, then this will be a very successful witch hunt. Those who are wise in the ways of science understand this.
For those of us who aren’t quite so rigorously reality-based, however, it seems odd that a good guy who is highly respected by everyone and is the gold standard at the Justice Department would authorize a former head of the FBI to prosecute crimes that not only do not exist but cannot possibly exist.
So, maybe “witch hunt” isn’t the best descriptor of what’s going on here.
Trump has tried to contain and obstruct this investigation in various ways, but he’s obviously failed in this just as spectacularly as he failed as a casino magnate and purveyor of third-rate vodka and steaks.