"Whether or not this probe ultimately reaches to Trump, it's now totally impossible for the President and his allies to dismiss the Mueller investigation as a "hoax," a distraction or the work of Democrats bitter about losing the election.
The following things are facts:
Mueller was appointed as special counsel by Trump Justice Department deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Flynn was an extremely close and influential adviser to Trump as a candidate and as president.
Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his interactions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
There's no "fake news" media in either of those three sentences. Or Democrats. Or hoaxes. Or witch hunts.
That doesn't mean that Trump, when he tweets his thoughts on Flynn's guilty plea -- and he will tweet about Flynn's guilty plea -- won't continue to dismiss the entire investigation as a farce. He almost certainly will.
But, that doesn't make it true. And, with the Flynn guilty plea, there is absolutely no thinking person who could possibly believe that Trump's presidency is not in some level of peril now.
Peril does not mean Trump is a goner. But, it does mean that Mueller's Russia investigation almost certainly will get worse for Trump before -- and if -- it gets better.
The Flynn charge is unmistakeable proof that this whole thing is inside Trump's White House. And Flynn's guilty plea is unmistakeable proof that it's not going to be leaving the White House any time soon.
And that is -- no matter how many tweets he sends -- absolutely awful news for Donald Trump".
Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large
Updated 3:06 PM ET, Fri December 1, 2017
The following things are facts:
Mueller was appointed as special counsel by Trump Justice Department deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Flynn was an extremely close and influential adviser to Trump as a candidate and as president.
Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his interactions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
There's no "fake news" media in either of those three sentences. Or Democrats. Or hoaxes. Or witch hunts.
That doesn't mean that Trump, when he tweets his thoughts on Flynn's guilty plea -- and he will tweet about Flynn's guilty plea -- won't continue to dismiss the entire investigation as a farce. He almost certainly will.
But, that doesn't make it true. And, with the Flynn guilty plea, there is absolutely no thinking person who could possibly believe that Trump's presidency is not in some level of peril now.
Peril does not mean Trump is a goner. But, it does mean that Mueller's Russia investigation almost certainly will get worse for Trump before -- and if -- it gets better.
The Flynn charge is unmistakeable proof that this whole thing is inside Trump's White House. And Flynn's guilty plea is unmistakeable proof that it's not going to be leaving the White House any time soon.
And that is -- no matter how many tweets he sends -- absolutely awful news for Donald Trump".
Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large
Updated 3:06 PM ET, Fri December 1, 2017
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