Trump's chief of staff throws Trump's son under the bus on Russia

Trump’s Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said in an interview with CBS News that he was caught off guard by the fact that a Republican-led Senate committee subpoenaed first son Donald Trump Jr. as part of its Russia investigation.

And in trying to explain why he — as Trump’s top aide — wouldn’t know about such a huge development in a major investigation roiling the White House, Mulvaney wound up throwing Trump Jr. under the bus.

It happened when CBS’ Major Garrett asked Mulvaney why the White House and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would declare the Russia investigation “case closed” if Trump Jr. was still being investigated.

“They’re two different people,” Mulvaney told CBS News of Trump and his eldest son, Trump Jr.

Mulvaney went on to say that the White House and McConnell were only referring to Trump Sr. when they declared there was “no collusion and no obstruction.”

But then Mulvaney dropped this bomb.

“Does that mean that other individuals may or may have not done other things? I have no idea, but I think that’s what Mr. McConnell was speaking to, the implications for the President of the United States,” Mulvaney said.

Ouch. Mulvaney suggested — intentionally or not — that Trump Jr. may have committed other crimes.

As of now, it’s unclear what exactly the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee that subpoenaed Trump Jr. is looking for.

However, the House Intelligence Committee said that they believe Trump Jr. lied to them about his knowledge of the Trump Tower Moscow project that was being negotiated during the 2016 campaign, as Russia was hacking and meddling in the presidential election to help Trump.

Lying to Congress is a serious offense that ended up sending former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to prison.

If the Senate Intelligence Committee believes Trump Jr. lied to them in the course of their Russia investigation, that could spell terrible news for the first son.

Trump Jr., for his part, seems scared about his legal position, as he’s now waging an all-out assault on the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, North Carolina GOP Sen. Richard Burr.

In fact, an anonymous source “close” to Trump Jr. told reporter Ben Jacobs that Burr acted “cowardly” when he issued the subpoena.

There’s nothing more ironic than a person too afraid to put their name to a statement calling someone else a coward.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.