The Note: Trump’s wild legal ride
Trump's biggest clash may still be ahead of him.
The TAKE with Rick Klein
President Donald Trump has grown used to smashing norms and conventions — and Washington and the world have adjusted, or not, accordingly.
But his biggest clash may still be ahead of him. The chaos inside the president’s legal team, the wild ride Rudy Giuliani is already leading it on, and the conflicting signals and veiled threats flowing via tweets and congressional rumblings — it all points to a more confrontational White House stance in the Robert Mueller probe.
Just hours before the announcement that Ty Cobb would be leaving the White House legal team, Cobb said on ABC’s “Powerhouse Politics” podcast that Mueller is “doing what he was assigned to do.” He added that he had “no doubt” that the leak of Mueller’s potential questions for Trump did not come from Mueller’s team.
Now Cobb exits, while Giuliani — who recently called it a “disgrace” that the Mueller probe hasn’t already concluded, and dropped a new bomb in the Stormy Daniels matter Wednesday night — is trying to negotiate potential presidential cooperation.
Cobb will be replaced by Emmet Flood, a former Clinton impeachment lawyer whom the White House stated will “represent the president and the administration against the Russia witch hunt.”
Legal bedrocks and constitutional principles could be in play soon around attempts to obtain testimony from the president. And Trump may just be getting started: “At some point I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved!” he tweeted.
The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks
Five days out from primary elections in West Virginia and voters in the Mountain State have one thing on their minds: jobs.
Russia? Collusion? White House drama and dysfunction? None of it seems to be top of mind or part of the political conversation here.
We spent yesterday driving through the southern part of the state, in the heart of coal country, where talk about the economy is nuanced, and complicated.
People we spoke with seemed to be striving for a balance: saving some coal jobs, bringing others back, and, maybe most important, trying to figure out what new jobs might look like.
And they are looking for leaders in Washington who can help.
Don Blankenship, a former coal company CEO, has been surging lately in the Republican Senate primary despite his rocky past, having served time in prison after a deadly explosion at one of his company's mines in 2010. Some voters we spoke with — who live just miles from where the accident occurred — told us they thought he was unjustly blamed. Many still view him as a savvy businessman.
Asked if coal is still the answer, even some proud former miners will just shake their heads. New coal jobs won’t last, we were told over and over again. But which leader is best suited to cultivate the next great job creator? Voters get a say next Tuesday.
The TIP with Alisa Wiersema
With less than a week until the end of Indiana’s bitter primary season, one Republican Senate hopeful is already looking toward 2019. That is the earliest President Trump is eligible for the Nobel Peace Prize, which Rep. Luke Messer has been calling for since Trump announced in March he plans to hold talks with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
On Wednesday, Rep. Messer submitted a formal nomination letter, co-signed by 17 other House members, to the Nobel committee. It calls for the president to be recognized for his "work to end the Korean War, denuclearize the Korean peninsula, and bring peace to the region.”
"Just weeks ago, no one would have believed the North and South Korean leaders could even meet, let alone publicly embrace. All of these events are a direct result of President Trump’s strong leadership," Rep. Messer said in a statement to ABC News.
One of Rep. Messer's rivals in the Indiana GOP Senate primary said he agrees with his House colleague about Trump deserving the prize if talks with North Korea are a success, but added a jab, too.
"I think if one president can get a Nobel Peace Prize simply by being elected, certainly this president, if these talks progress and bear fruit, should," Rep. Todd Rokita told ABC News. "Beyond the gimmicky way that Luke Messer is doing it, we have a serious foreign policy issue here."
The two sitting House members, along with businessman Mike Braun, are vying for the chance to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly. The Indiana Senate Republican primary is next Tuesday, May 8th.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I have a high degree of confidence that — that's not the case.” —Outgoing White House lawyer Ty Cobb when asked on ABC’s “Powerhouse Politics” podcast if Mueller's team leaked a list of possible questions for the president.
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The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the key political moments of the day ahead. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.