US: White House considers legal team to vet Trump’s tweets
The White House is reportedly considering appointing a legal team to monitor President Donald Trump’s tweets, according to a report. The plan to scrutinize the president’s social media posts aims to avoid unnecessary political and legal troubles that have led to a number of investigations into administration officials, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump used Twitter as his main means of communicating with voters, a method that proved effective and far cheaper than advertising campaigns used by his opponents. However, aides and officials had hoped that Trump would be more cautious as president, but this has not been the case.
Trump has caused controversy during his time in office by issuing unverified claims on Twitter about former FBI Director James Comey and his predecessor, Barack Obama. Without evidence, Trump accused Obama of wiretapping him during the election, and also hinted that his conversations with Comey, whom he fired this month, could have been taped at the White House.
Comey has authored a memo that said the president asked him to drop an inquiry about former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s ties to Moscow. Some members of Congress have demanded access to that memo. The White House also seeks to expand its legal team to deal with ongoing investigations into whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to interfere in the November election.
The Justice Department has named a special counsel to lead one of the inquiries. Meanwhile, Trump has appointed longtime legal adviser Marc Kasowitz to represent him on matters related to the Russia investigation.
The appointment of a private attorney may signal that Trump is seriously concerned about the impact the federal investigation could have on him personally, especially if others in his administration turn against him. Reports suggest that the White House might have major changes in store when Trump returns to Washington this weekend from his first trip abroad.
Culled from Presstv