President Trump took to twitter early Friday morning and he was in full-on attack mode. The biggest tweet coming in the form of a direct threat to former FBI Director James Comey.
James Comey better hope that there are no “tapes” of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017
Some members of the conservative media were extremely upset at this.
Ben Shapiro of The Daily Wire was highly critical of Trump’s tweet:
This is unwise for a variety of reasons.
First, it’s not smart to blackmail a fellow who is scheduled to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee next week. Comey obviously had few limits on what he was willing to say publicly before Trump blackmailed him; now he’ll be even more loose with his tongue.
Second, revealing that there may be “tapes†of Comey means that those tapes are now subject to subpoena. Even an amateur history student would realize that this is precisely how Nixon went down: a member of the White House staff revealed the presence of a taping system, at which point special prosecutor Archibald Cox asked for a subpoena; Nixon refused to turn over the tapes, and then ordered the Saturday Night Massacre when Cox kept demanding them and the Attorney General refused to fire him.
Third, the president relies on the good counsel of professional advisors. Which professional advisors would be willing to speak honestly with him if they thought they were being taped, and that Trump would later use that tape against them?
Fourth, Trump has said repeatedly that he believes Trump Tower was bugged by the Obama administration during the last election cycle. Now he’s saying he might have bugged Comey in some fashion. This is insane.
Finally, it is simply unseemly for the most powerful man on the planet to threaten a former employee over a conversation that cannot be confirmed either way. It demonstrates a lack of judgment and self-control.
Whatever Trump supporters think of him, it does not help Trump to behave this way. He’s undercutting his legitimacy with Congress, his trustworthiness, and by extension, his agenda. He’s in the middle of a grueling legislative fight over Trumpcare, and we’ve just spent a week debating a Russia scandal he says shouldn’t exist. What in the world is he thinking? Or is he?
Now I see where Shapiro is coming from but he is falling into the same trap the Mainstream media’s falls into on almost every story they write. They cover Trump like he is every other President. Holding him to the standards and the ethical procedures of former Presidents. This is why they fail to cover him properly. Donald Trump is like no President we have ever seen. He does things his way and that almost always comes with a plan.
Trump’s tweet did two things for him. The first thing it did was once again strengthen the base that got him elected. His base loves the brash attitude he has towards members of the government swamp. This is exactly what they elected him for. Him firing at Comey who has been leaking information to the press is something all Trump supporters have wanted him to do for quite sometime.  The second thing is this tweet sends a clear warning shot to James Comey and any supporters he has left in the FBI. This message is to watch what lies you spread to the press because I will come after you. Donald Trump realizes there are rogue members of the intelligence agencies and this is warning them not to tread on the New Commander and Chief.
You can debate how this will help his political future but the bottom line is that Trump is going to do things Trump’s way. His tweets will act as his mouthpiece to his supporters and with that create controversy.
