People in President Donald Trump's inner circle and broader orbit are reportedly scrambling to "lawyer up," according to a new piece from MS NOW, fearing the worst about the upcoming midterms.
Writing for the outlet on Sunday morning, reporter Hayes Brown observed that "Even Republicans seem to think Democrats are poised to capture control of at least one chamber of Congress during the midterm elections." As Trump's popularity plummets and voters blame the GOP for their major concerns not being addressed, some political prognosticators have even suggested that the party could lose both its House and Senate majorities.
Even if only the House goes to the Democrats, however, Trump, the White House, and the Republican Party overall can expect a new barrage of congressional investigations seeking to expose the corruption and malpractice rampant in the administration and hold it to account as best they can. With these plans in mind, Brown noted that "Will Scharf, who took over as White House counsel this week, is reportedly leading other White House lawyers in battening down the hatches against an expected onslaught of congressional investigations," and that sentiment is becoming more widespread within the president's orbit.
"Many of the individuals in Trump’s orbit are reportedly looking to lawyer up and are hoping that Justice Department efforts to extend the scope of executive privilege to communication with private advisers will shield them from congressional subpoenas," Brown wrote. "The Washington Post reported in May that the counsel’s office, then run by [David] Warrington, was giving political appointees 30-minute PowerPoint presentations about congressional oversight. According to the Post, staffers were also 'encouraged… to be careful about what they put in writing and provided guidance for how to respond to congressional inquiries in a timely manner.'"
Brown further noted that, in his second term, Trump and his team have accumulated numerous new tactics for evading legal accountability, and urged congressional Democrats to be ready to combat them.
"As he and other White House officials are reportedly expecting Democrats to investigate the Trump administration, those congressional Democrats would do well to review the tactics people on Team Trump, including Scharf himself, have previously used to avoid exposure or accountability," Brown explained. "The success of those tactics helped Trump reach the White House again."
He concluded: "Democrats must employ speed and aggression and dole out real consequences to counteract the delays and drawn-out legal proceedings that Trump can be expected to use as he again tries to avoid accountability for his assault on democracy.