Trump turns the full force of the government on perceived political enemies
Analysis: The president is wielding power in ways not seen in the United States in generations — if ever.
"This is really a feature of petty dictators, where you see the power of investigation abilities being used as a political tool against enemies," Claire Finkelstein, the director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law at the University of Pennsylvania's law school, said in a telephone interview.
"In this case I believe it is a deliberate attempt to confuse the public, to spin a certain narrative about our intelligence community, to throw pixie dust over the facts surrounding the 2016 election," she said. "And it’s remarkable in my mind that he’s been successful with these tactics" in terms of convincing a significant share of the American public that he is the victim of a "deep state" conspiracy.