The raid is extraordinary, not least because Cohen has served as a lawyer for Trump. The requirements for seeking and obtaining a warrant for such a raid to override attorney-client privilege are strenuous and lengthy. The Washington Post reported that Cohen is being investigated for possible bank fraud and campaign-finance violations. He’s been in the news recently as the man who paid porn actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 shortly before the election in exchange for her silence about an affair she says she had with Trump years ago.

Also of note is the fact that the special counsel did not oversee the raid. According to Bloomberg, “Mueller brought information involving Cohen to Rosenstein, who decided that the inquiry should be handled by federal prosecutors in New York, according to a person familiar with the situation.”

In recent days, Trump has seemed to distance himself from Cohen. Last week, he denied knowledge of Daniels’s non-disclosure deal, saying, “You'll have to ask Michael Cohen. Michael is my attorney.” So it’s notable that Trump took Monday’s raid as such a personal affront, launching into a lengthy rant before a Cabinet meeting.

At each step of the way, the actions that have angered Trump have been steps taken by senior officials specifically following the law. In a shocking turn of phrase, even by his standards, Trump said, “So I just heard they broke into the office of one of my personal attorneys.” Of course, “they” didn’t “break in”—they obtained a search warrant: sought by the U.S. Attorney, with the sign-off of the deputy attorney general, and approved by a magistrate judge. “They” means the FBI, part of Trump’s own executive branch, acting according to the law.

More broadly, Trump has attacked the special counsel. The point of having a special counsel is to insulate an investigation from political pressure—indeed, Rosenstein appointed Mueller when he felt that the tenor of Trump’s earlier comments and actions made it impossible for the Justice Department to adequately investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election through normal channels. In his comments about Mueller, Trump has not broken any laws (as far as we know), but he has most certainly violated the spirit of the special-counsel regulation, attempting to pressure Mueller at all turns. He said in an interview that if Mueller investigated his personal business, it would cross a “red line.” He reportedly tried to fire Mueller, only to be talked down by aides. He has blasted the probe left and right, and on Monday all but threatened to fire Mueller again.

“We'll see what happens,” the president said. “Many people have said, ‘You should fire him.’”

Rosenstein appointed Mueller because he is the acting attorney general for Russian matters, after Sessions recused himself from related probes. That this infuriates Trump is another example of Trump’s crusade against rule of law. Sessions recused himself on the advice of career Justice Department staff and in accordance with department guidelines. Trump has no regard for the rules and procedures.