FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

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Trump Compares Mueller’s ‘Rigged Witch Hunt’ To McCarthy Terror

Aug. 20, 2018 (EIRN

S)—One tweet Trump made on Sunday is notable for its clarity: “Study the late Joseph McCarthy because we are now in a period with Mueller and his gang that makes Joseph McCarthy look like a baby! Rigged Witch Hunt!”

The immediate context was a New York Times caper over Aug. 18-19 regarding White House counsel Donald McGahn’s cooperation with Robert Mueller’s investigators. The Times’ articles, straight from the McCarthy playbook, had the form of “your colleague X has already named you to our investigators,” etc. Trump tweeted yesterday:

“The Failing New York Times wrote a story that made it seem like the White House Counsel had TURNED on the President, when in fact it is just the opposite—& the two Fake reporters knew this. This is why the Fake News Media has become the Enemy of the People. So bad for America!”

The Wall Street Journal’s lead editorial today comes close to calling the media fake news: “The bottom line is that readers should remain skeptical about what is reported about Mr. Mueller’s probe,” and pointing out that McGahn could not have met with Mueller without the President having first waived executive privilege, which he did. Both Nixon and Clinton “fought extensive legal battles with prosecutors over executive privilege,” they said, whereas Trump is being transparent.