Trump's main legal strategy is to have 'TV lawyers' defend him on-air

(Image credit: Alex Edelman-Pool/Getty Images)

published 14 May 2018

President Trump understands the importance of a good TV appearance, and he wants his legal team up to par.

Trump complains in private that he needs better "TV lawyers" to represent him on cable news shows, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

Based on accounts from 22 sources — White House and Justice Department officials, Trump "confidants" and attorneys — Trump is frustrated with the ongoing probe led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and aides are "resigned to just buckle up" and survive the storm, the Post reports. The investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian meddling in the 2016 election has created tension between the president and his legal team, which has led to the departure of several of the president's attorneys.

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Rudy Giuliani, who has been Trump's attorney since last month, has recently appeared on TV to defend the president — though he complicated things by revealing details about the Stormy Daniels scandal. Trump reportedly wants a more frequent and full-throated defense system on network television in order to combat the "witch hunt" that he believes is undermining his "legitimacy" as president. Even though Giuliani's TV antics have stressed out White House staffers like Chief of Staff John Kelly, Trump and Giuliani continue to plan media appearances in private. Read more at The Washington Post.

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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.

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