Ted Olson: Trump turmoil ‘beyond normal’

Veteran Washington, D.C., attorney Ted Olson, who decided against joining President Trump’s legal team last week, said Monday that “turmoil” and “chaos” in the Trump White House is “beyond normal.”

Olson, who served as U.S. solicitor general under President George W. Bush, told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell that the high number of personnel changes in the Trump administration are “not good for anything.”

“I think everybody would agree this is turmoil, it’s chaos, it’s confusion, it’s not good for anything,” Olson said. “We always believe that there should be an orderly process, and of course, government is not clean or orderly ever. But this seems to be beyond normal.”

Trump in recent weeks has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, economic adviser Gary Cohn and communications director Hope Hicks have all either resigned from the White House or announced their intention to do so. Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is reportedly on thin ice.

A key member of Trump’s legal team, John Dowd, also stepped down last week. 

Trump offered a position last week to Olson, who turned him down. Olson had previously turned down an offer to join the administration.

Trump claimed on Sunday that “many lawyers” want to represent him and called reports that it has been difficult for him to find attorneys to join his legal team “fake news.”

Many lawyers and top law firms want to represent me in the Russia case…don’t believe the Fake News narrative that it is hard to find a lawyer who wants to take this on. Fame & fortune will NEVER be turned down by a lawyer, though some are conflicted. Problem is that a new……

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 25, 2018

….lawyer or law firm will take months to get up to speed (if for no other reason than they can bill more), which is unfair to our great country – and I am very happy with my existing team. Besides, there was NO COLLUSION with Russia, except by Crooked Hillary and the Dems!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 25, 2018