Donald Trump, for years, took aim at Bill Clinton, using the former president’s infidelities and his “impeachment for lying” as campaign trail fodder to rile up angry crowds.
Now, Trump appears to have changed his ways and has brought on one of the top lawyers who guided Clinton through his impeachment proceedings more than 20 years ago. This week, Trump announced that lawyer Ty Cobb is out and Emmet Flood is in, CNN reported. The veteran Washington, D.C., attorney is known for his aggressive defense of Clinton as well as George H.W. Bush during an investigation of the firing of federal attorneys.
While Flood would seem to be a logical choice for Donald Trump’s legal team given that he faces the possibility of impeachment as the Russia investigation drags on, many noted the apparent hypocrisy in Trump’s decision. For years on the campaign trail, Trump slammed Clinton for his impeachment and for lying under oath.
After the first presidential debate, Trump bragged that he took the high ground by not mentioning Clinton’s infidelities, the Press Herald noted. But Trump grew more aggressive toward Bill Clinton, even bringing Clinton’s sexual harassment accusers to sit in the crowd at the next debate.
“An impeachment for lying,” Trump reminded the crowd at a New Hampshire rally in 2016. “Remember that? Impeach.”
Many strategists noted at the time that it was a very risky line of attack for Donald Trump, who had been married three times and had many high-profile affairs. Trump has since been accused of sexual impropriety by close to 20 women, and adult film star Stormy Daniels has shared details of an affair they had in 2006, shortly after Melania Trump gave birth to the couple’s son.
And as Donald Trump hit Bill Clinton for lying about the Monica Lewinsky affair, many noted that Trump appeared to lie about his affair with Stormy Daniels. After spending months denying that he knew anything about a $130,000 hush money payment made to Daniels by Trump’s lawyer, Trump revealed this week that he was aware of the payment and even reimbursed Cohen the money.
Neither Don McGahn nor Emmet Flood knew that Trump reimbursed Michael Cohen for the Stormy Daniels payment until Giuliani said it on live TV, WaPo reports. https://t.co/zo6UWr7HJn
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 3, 2018
The criticism over hiring Bill Clinton’s impeachment lawyer has done little to slow Donald Trump, who continued to attack the Russia investigation this week, calling it a “witch hunt.”
