CNN analyst Josh Campbell on Wednesday’s “New Day” weighed in on President Donald Trump and former FBI special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation amid House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
Campbell said Mueller treated Trump with “kid gloves” during his investigation, which “emboldened” the president to then demand a quid pro quo in a phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“What is so ironic about this entire thing is you and I sit here talking about this historic day as we face impeachment,” Campbell told host Alisyn Camerota. “I think Robert Mueller’s lack of due diligence as it relates to following all the leads exhaustively leads us to where we are today because we know that when Robert Mueller sat before Congress and closed the books on his investigation, the very next day, I think, the president felt emboldened by that investigation not going anywhere and picked up the phone and called the leader of Ukraine and, again, according to this rough transcript, asked a foreign government to interfere in a foreign election.”
He continued, “So, without Robert Mueller’s lack of due diligence, I don’t know that the president would have felt that emboldened to go so far as to, you know, at least conduct the alleged act of foreign interference that now he’s facing before Congress.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent