An issue Democrats once believed would be the undoing of President Trump could be his ticket back to the White House, as the investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign in Russia turns into a probe of the investigators.
“POTUS has been vindicated in the Senate, and now he is being further vindicated by DOJ,” said Republican strategist Bradley Blakeman. “There was never any Russian collusion before or after the campaign. It was an orchestrated effort to prevent Trump from winning and thereafter, keep him from governing. The American people get it.”
Now, the cat is chasing the dog. U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham is conducting an investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe that dominated much of the president’s term, with results expected before November’s election. Durham’s findings could be part of a broader unraveling of the Trump-Russia scandal, which alleged a coordinated effort by the Kremlin and the Trump campaign to swing public opinion against 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Last week, the Justice Department dropped its case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The House Intelligence Committee also published transcripts of over 50 interviews it conducted while investigating possible Trump-Russia collusion, with witnesses, including some former Obama administration officials who have sharply criticized the president on these issues in the media, repeatedly testifying they lacked direct evidence of such offenses. The testimony also contained revelations about the dissemination of the discredited Christopher Steele dossier.
All this followed a Justice Department review that found widespread errors in applications the FBI used to surveil Trump campaign aide Carter Page, at least two of which lacked probable cause. Trump-Russia special counsel Robert Mueller concluded his “investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,” and House Democrats ultimately did not open an impeachment inquiry based on his report.
“It paints a pretty damning picture of the political establishment and will further enrage those Trump supporters who believe that the deep state was part of a dangerous coup against the president that they love,” said Republican strategist John Feehery. “The fact that President Obama now looks like he might have been involved is a further indictment of the political establishment.”
Trump has frequently called the alleged collusion a “hoax.” He was eventually impeached by the Democrat-controlled House over delaying aid to Ukraine in an alleged attempt to force an investigation into Democratic challenger Joe Biden and failing to cooperate with the resulting impeachment inquiry. The Senate acquitted him of both charges earlier this year.
Now, impeachment has receded into the background, and questions about the Trump-Russia investigations, and how quickly both investigators and Democratic critics of the president knew there was no collusion, remain.
“This will be added value to the Trump election fodder,” Blakeman said. “So far, they are gaining more ammo to use against Biden and House and Senate Democrats this fall. The election will be decided on the economy, but collateral issues like this are certainly going to help the president.”
Durham’s investigation could continue to bolster Trump’s claims that he was subject to a partisan “witch hunt.”
“It was a very dangerous situation what they did,” Trump told Fox & Friends on Friday. “These are dirty politicians and dirty cops and some horrible people, and hopefully, they’re going to pay a big price in the not too distant future.”
Democrats counter that it is the Justice Department, under the leadership of Attorney General William Barr, that is conducting politicized investigations. They say that there is substantial evidence against Flynn, who pleaded guilty, and that the Mueller report is a damning portrayal of the president, strongly suggesting that he obstructed justice, even if it stopped short of proving any collusion-related crimes.
Polling has never found Trump-Russia or impeachment to be a major priority among voters, a fact unlikely to change in the middle of a global pandemic and resulting economic contraction. But these issues resonate with the bases of both parties. “Resistance”-minded progressive activists kept up pressure on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi until she agreed to an impeachment inquiry. Trump’s strongest supporters believe that the inquiry and the Russia investigation were just tools to oust a duly elected president — and they now have momentum on their side.
“Practically speaking, this will further polarize an already highly polarized electorate,” said Feehery.
