President Donald Trump appears intent on fueling calls for impeachment with unhinged statements calling some who worked with Special Counsel Robert Mueller as possible “traitors” and promising to “turn the tables” and to “bring them to justice”. While the President could simply relish the lack of findings of any criminal conduct, he has again adopted disturbing rhetoric that is reminiscent more of authoritarian regimes than American administrations.
Trump is golfing at Mar-a-Lago but took time out for incendiary tweets. The tweets are chilling:
“Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report, in itself written by 18 Angry Democrat Trump Haters, which are fabricated & totally untrue.”
“It was not necessary for me to respond to statements made in the “Report” about me, some of which are total bullshit & only given to make the other person look good (or me to look bad). This was an Illegally Started Hoax that never should have happened.”
“It is now finally time to turn the tables and bring justice to some very sick and dangerous people who have committed very serious crimes, perhaps even spying or treason. This should never happen again!”
It is not clear who Trump is referencing but it is the type of rhetoric that fueled the allegations of obstruction. The Special Counsel report is a 400 page tale of self-inflicted wounds. Trump however is clearly not deterred in leveling such incendiary charges against his critics.
Such rhetoric is likely to only push both Congress and Mueller into more defiant stances when Trump should be trying to move the country beyond the controversy.