Trump lashes out over Mueller indictments, demands probe of Democrats

On Tuesday, President Trump downplayed Special Counsel Robert Mueller's indictments of former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his top aide, plus the guilty plea of a Trump campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos:

Trump's tweets reiterated his dismissal of charges against Manafort. They also notably contained Trump's first acknowledgment of Papadopoulos since the former foreign policy aide's indictment was unsealed. It was revealed Monday that Papadopoulos was arrested earlier this year and pleaded guilty to making false statements that deflected the extent of his interactions with Russian agents. Papadopoulos has reportedly been cooperating with government agents since his arrest.

Additionally, Trump's repeated calls to "check the DEMS" and to "focus" on "crooked Hillary" have been interpreted by some as intentionally muddying the waters. "The Trump administration and its media allies want this to be foggy," writes Brian Stelter at Reliable Sources. "When you say 'Russia,' they say 'Hillary,' thickening more fog."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.