Trump rips newspaper for story on lawyer

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — President Donald Trump insisted Sunday that his White House counsel isn’t a “RAT” like the Watergateera White House attorney who turned on Richard Nixon, and Trump blasted the ongoing Russia investigation as “McCarthyism.”

Trump, in a series of angry tweets, denounced a New York Times story that his White House counsel, Don McGahn, has been cooperating extensively with the special counsel’s team investigating Russian election meddling and potential collusion with Trump’s Republican campaign.

“The failing @nytimes wrote a Fake piece today implying that because White House Councel Don McGahn was giving hours of testimony to the Special Councel, he must be a John Dean type ‘RAT,’” Trump wrote, misspelling the word “counsel,” as he often does. “But I allowed him and all others to testify - I didn’t have to. I have nothing to hide......”

The New York Times said it stands by its story.

Dean, a frequent critic of Trump, was the White House counsel for Nixon during the Watergate scandal. He ultimately cooperated with prosecutors and helped bring down the Nixon presidency in 1974, although he served a prison term for obstruction of justice.

Dean tweeted Saturday night in response to the Times story: “Trump, a total incompetent, is bungling and botching his handling of Russiagate. Fate is never kind to bunglers and/or botchers! Unlike Nixon, however, Trump won’t leave willingly or graciously.”

Dean added Sunday, in response to Trump’s tweets, that he doubts the president has “ANY IDEA what McGahn