Is winter coming for Russia probe?

For many months, Donald Trump has complained incessantly and obsessively about special counsel Robert Mueller's "witch hunt," but he didn't do anything drastic about it. Not with the political risks it would pose for Tuesday's midterm elections.

On Wednesday, he broke free of the restraints. Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had recused himself from the Russia investigation and left its oversight in the hands of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Trump named a new acting attorney general who will take that responsibility from Rosenstein.

His name is Matthew Whitaker. Last year, Whitaker wrote an opinion piece for CNN.com warning that Mueller's investigation would be going too far if it crossed a "red line" by looking into Trump Organization finances.

He tweeted a "worth a read" recommendation for another opinion piece urging Trump's lawyers not to cooperate with "Mueller's lynch mob." He argued on CNN that there is no obstruction-of-justice case to be made over Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey. He even mused about a temporary Sessions successor cutting Mueller's budget "so low that his investigation grinds to almost a halt.”

And wait, there's more: In 2016, right after Comey announced he wouldn't pursue criminal charges against Hillary Clinton, Whitaker wrote for USA Today: "I would indict Hillary Clinton."

Whitaker's comments could trigger a review by ethics officials of whether it's appropriate for Whitaker to oversee Mueller, The Washington Post reported. Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded he recuse himself.

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At a news conference before Sessions' exit was disclosed, Trump said the Mueller probe was "very bad for our country," but insisted he wasn't going to stop the Mueller investigation. "I could have ended it anytime I wanted. I didn’t," he said. But now he has someone who could try to cripple it, if not moving to dismiss Mueller outright.

'This American carnage' continued

Trump spoke opaquely and darkly at his inauguration that "this American carnage" had magically stopped just then and there. "Your child isn't going to be shot," he said. "I’ll be able to make sure that when you walk down the street in your inner city, or wherever you are, you’re not going to be shot."

On Thursday morning the news was all about another mass shooting, this one in a bar in Thousand Oaks, California. The president tweeted his usual recital of vague feel-good bromides.

Democrats sound alarm

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi tweeted that "Congress must take immediate action to protect the rule of law and integrity of the investigation. She called Sessions' firing "another blatant attempt by @realDonaldTrump to undermine & end Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation."

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan), in line to chair the Judiciary Committee, tweeted a demand for explanations after Trump's shake-up at the Justice Department, saying, "We will be holding people accountable."

A handful of Republicans — Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Jeff Flake and senator-elect Mitt Romney — echoed calls for Mueller to be protected. But Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not allowed the Senate to consider legislation that would do that. He issued a statement wishing Sessions well, but making no mention of Mueller.

Ready to rumble

Trump's move signaled he won't hesitate to play poke-a-bear with the House Democrats, who had already vowed to use their new power come January for far-reaching investigations into him and his administration. He said at the news conference that he would take on a "warlike posture" in response.

“They can play that game, but we can play it better," the president said.

Janison: Empire state of blue

In New York, Trump's home state, the election results have left Democrats with even more clout and Republicans further diminished, writes Newsday's Dan Janison. Why should he care? Because it strengthens resistance to Trump in ways that can matter.

The attorney general's office under Letitia James will continue to vex Trump via lawsuit on the defunct Trump Foundation, and could serve as a backstop to press other potential cases, such as on Trump's murky business finances, if Mueller is blocked from pursuing them.

The Democrats' new control of both houses of the legislature makes it easier to counter a Trump policy on subjects such as immigration, criminal justice and abortion rights.

A one-man circular firing squad

Early In his 90-minute news conference, Trump spoke about seeking bipartisan deals with the Democrats who control of the House. But his mood swung to churlish as he threw darts at his usual targets, including several reporters in the room, and some new ones — Republican candidates who he said lost because they failed to "embrace" him.

He went so far as to name eight of them to celebrate the defeats. "I'm not sure that I should be happy or sad, but I feel just fine about it," Trump said. He mocked Utah's Mia Love — a daughter of Haitian immigrants, who in January denounced Trump's "shithole countries" slur. "Mia Love gave me no love and she lost. . . . Too bad. Sorry about that, Mia.” Actually, her race was still too close to call.

Also, some of Trump's most fervent House GOP fans went down. Among them: South Carolina's Katie Arrington, who had beaten Rep. Mark Sanford in a primary by persuading GOP voters she was Trumpier, and central New York Rep. Claudia Tenney. In California, Dana Rohrabacher, Congress' No. 1 fan of Vladimir Putin, was behind in a race yet to be called.

For more on Trump's news conference, see Newsday's story by Candice Ferrette and Emily Ngo.

What, me racist?

Trump responded angrily to PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor when she tried to ask a question about whether Trump's self-description as a nationalist emboldened white nationalists.

"That’s such a racist question," Trump interrupted. " . . . What you said is so insulting to me. It’s a very terrible thing that you said."

Coincidentally, the leader of a white supremacist group, Identity Evropa, posted photos of himself visiting the White House on Wednesday, claiming on Twitter that he stopped by in order to "pay [his] respects."

Will there be deals?

It's too soon, especially considering Trump's chronic inconsistency, to see where the Democratic House, Republican Senate and president might find common ground in the next two years. But a few ideas were floated.

Trump said he’s open to raising some tax rates to help pay for a bigger tax break for middle-class Americans. McConnell conceded there's no chance of repealing Obamacare and said there could be fixes to shore up the law's insurance markets. Trump and Pelosi said they might be able to work on lowering prescription drug prices. All three talked about infrastructure.

For more on Pelosi's plans, see Newsday's story by Tom Brune.

What else is happening: