President Trump is fighting a two-front war against the Russia investigation that threatens to engulf his presidency and the Republican congressional leaders he doesn't think are doing enough to further his legislative agenda.
To succeed on either front, Trump will need friends on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans are privately saying the president must pick one of these battles.
The need for congressional support has always been obvious when it comes to passing Trump-friendly bills. You can't legislate without the legislative branch. Monday brought fresh reminders that alliances on the Hill are necessary for coping with Russia too.
Consider the reports that high-level Trump business associates sought Russian President Vladimir Putin's help on a stalled Moscow construction project while their boss was running for president. One even said in an email that building a Trump Tower in Moscow would help him win the presidential election, a jarring claim given Russian interference in the 2016 campaign.
What kind of benefit of the doubt Republicans choose to give Trump on such stories will go a long way to deciding how he weathers the storm. One Republican operative, requesting anonymity so as not to publicly criticize GOP congressional leaders, argued the party's lawmakers are already too quick to run to the microphones to criticize Trump.
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05.15.2024