The Definition of a Friend

• Crisis
• June 14, 2017
• by Merrie Spaeth

Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of NewsMax, appeared on PBS Monday night and was described as a “friend” of President Trump’s. He dropped the bombshell that the president was considering firing Robert Mueller, the just-appointed Special Counsel, charged with investigating a widening array of allegations that started with whether the Russians interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Headlines resulted with the key words “friend” and “firing” propagating themselves like mosquitos in humid weather.

The White House was reported to be “taken by surprise.” We bet they were. What’s really going on here? Even The New York Times made it clear that Ruddy didn’t know what he was talking about. The hints are in the rest of the news reports. Political and news celebrities like former-Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh have grown concerned that Mueller’s friendship with dismissed FBI Chief James Comey, whom Mueller preceded at the Bureau, and the legal team Mueller was assembling were pre-ordained to find President Trump guilty of – well, something. Anything!

It is true that the president threw fuel on the debate with his ill-considered comment about “hoping there aren’t tapes.” 1-800-call-Watergate. No answer? Mention firing the Special Counsel. Ruddy is trying to signal to the president that if he does recommend and obtain the dismissal of the Special Counsel, voices will be there to defend him. Except things like this never stand still, the president can be expected to continue to react to every little thing via Twitter. Let’s urge the news reports to identify Christopher Ruddy as a “former friend.”