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President Trump fancies himself an innovator, but his political playbook to try to dig out of scandal quicksand owes a lot to the 42nd president. On Thursday, Trump aped defense techniques used during Bill Clinton’s impeachment saga (with the added twists of a Republican complaining in 2017 about a vast left-wing conspiracy via social media that didn’t exist in the late 1990s).In three formats -- Twitter, a roundtable session with TV anchors, and an afternoon joint news conference -- the president repeated his belief that the special counsel appointed by the deputy attorney general on Wednesday, plus ongoing FBI and congressional investigations examining Russia’s influence in last year’s election, collectively amount to “a witch hunt.”The president, along with a fledgling West Wing “rapid response” communications team and surrogates armed with talking points, argued that his foes and the news media are collaborating to block his stalled policy agenda. He said his opponents are trying to settle scores from the campaign by casting his geopolitical view of Russia as scandalous.Trump repeatedly proclaimed his innocence, blamed political enemies for his troubles, vowed to defend himself on behalf of the American people, and said he would not be diverted from his commitment to better Americans’ lives.“Whether it's Russia or anybody else, my total priority, believe me, is the United States of America,” he told reporters in the East Room after meeting with President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia.It was vintage Clinton, channeled anew by the 45th president . . .
