"Everyone is freaking out." Trump rages as "walls close in" on Russia scandal

As the size and the scope of Monday’s seismic legal events in Washington, D.C. are coming into sharper focus — two indictments and one guilty plea — Donald Trump remains an angry man trapped inside the White House, and trapped within the larger confines of the burgeoning Russia scandal.

Alternately described as “seething” (CNN) and “fuming” (Washington Post), Trump is reportedly lashing out at staff and advisers and unsure how to fight back against a powerful prosecutor, special counsel Robert Mueller, who’s holding all the cards.

Aside from fuming, Trump spent Monday in a state of “exasperation and disgust,” according to the Washington Post. “The walls are closing in,” said one senior Republican. “Everyone is freaking out.”

It’s increasingly clear that the White House’s laughable and feeble response to Monday’s indictments and guilty plea — that they have nothing to do with Trump or his campaign — simply isn’t sustainable. At least it’s not sustainable outside of the circle of hardcore loyalists who will believe any concoction this White House puts forward.

The “I don’t recall” defense probably won’t work, either.

Not only were former high-ranking campaign officials Paul Manafort and Rick Gates charged with 12 counts on Monday, much of it stemming from tax evasion that occurred through 2016, but we also learned that George Papadopoulos, who sat on Trump’s foreign policy team, had previously confessed to making “material false statements” to the FBI about the nature of communications with Russian contacts in order to try to obtain damaging information on Hillary Clinton.

The news obliterates previous Republican spin that there’s still no proof of collusion between Russians and the Trump campaign.

Trump on Tuesday morning offered up the feeble defense that if Manafort’s lawyer says there’s no collusion, that must make it true:

The Fake News is working overtime. As Paul Manaforts lawyer said, there was "no collusion" and events mentioned took place long before he…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017

Incredibly, Trump also inserted himself into an ongoing legal case and attacked Papadopoulos, who is actively cooperating with the federal government in the investigation of Trump’s campaign:

….came to the campaign. Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017

The reality is that overnight, it’s obvious Mueller now has all the advantages and that things are going to get much worse for the White House.

From ABC News’ Rick Klein:

Mueller is acting like he's just getting started – and like he already has the goods. The Note: https://t.co/JbYRaDuwGS

— Rick Klein (@rickklein) October 31, 2017

Look for lots more Trump “fuming” to come.