https://forwardprogressives.com/summarizing-trumps-defense-for-links-to-multiple-potential-crimes-im-incompetent/
"When his former national security advisor Michael Flynn called Russia and discussed sanctions that Barack Obama had just issued against the Russian government for their cyber attack against the 2016 election — then lied about what he discussed — Trump claimed ignorance. Flynn’s actions were his own and were in no way the result of any orders Trump had given him. After Trump’s second campaign manager Paul Manafort abruptly left the campaign following reports of his ties to pro-Russia groups in Ukraine, naturally this “president” claimed he knew nothing about any of that and began to downplay his former campaign manager’s role — in his campaign. To me that one is particularly funny because it thoroughly supports the point I’m getting at. In one instance, Trump’s claiming that he ran his own campaign. That he’s such a “hands-on” person, his campaign manager had very little to do with what was going on during his time as part of “team Trump.” Yet he’s still effectively claiming ignorance as it relates to Manafort’s ties to pro-Russia groups. He’s “super hands on” — until being hands-on no longer benefits him. Then he’s apparently surrounded by people who act completely independent of him without his knowledge of anything they’re doing. Such as the infamous meeting his eldest son, campaign manager, and son-in-law had with Russians promising the campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton from Russia’s government that was held in Trump Tower. Nope, Trump never knew about that, either. He found out about that meeting at the same time all of us did. His son, son-in-law, and campaign manger set all of this up — in his building — and kept it secret for over a year, never once mentioning anything about it to him. Uh huh. Then there’s the payment his lawyer Michael Cohen made to former adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an affair he had with her on his current wife. Once again, Trump claims he knew nothing about the payment or the deal she signed to not speak publicly about their affair."
