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At a White House press briefing Wednesday, I was hoping to find out if Donald Trump had been apprised of the issue that has consumed Canadian minds: the Omar Khadr $10.5-million settlement. If the President were to fixate on it, bilateral relations would hardly benefit.

There was no luck getting an answer to the question. Washington is consumed by matters more dramatic. North American free-trade agreement developments hardly made a dint in the media, where health care and the issue of Russian election-meddling sucked up all the oxygen beneath the broiling sun.

The briefing by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who often stood in place for the somewhat cartoonish, now departed Sean Spicer, was off-camera. That's the new way of doing the briefings here. But at least the briefings themselves haven't been shut down yet. Nor has, speaking of Russia, Robert Mueller's inquiry into election meddling. Yet.

Trump and Russia: A guide to the many investigations into 2016's election-meddling

Read more: Who is Robert Mueller, and what will he do?

It wouldn't be wise to wager on a long life for this probe. Not after Mr. Trump renewed his attacks on it Wednesday. Not after reports saying he is exploring more ways to discredit Mr. Mueller. As well, the President is examining his authority to grant pardons. To himself, among others.

Ms. Sanders ended the press briefing abruptly, leaving the 50 or so reporters wondering what was up. Was the President doing something off the wall? Again? Indeed, he was. Without informing anyone in the entire executive branch except press aide Hope Hicks, he had hastily arranged an interview with none other than the "failing New York Times," as he has often called the liberal-leaning paper.

In the interview he dropped more bombshells, berating his Attorney-General Jeff Sessions, stomping all over him for having recused himself from overseeing the Russian investigation. Duly discredited, duly diminished, Mr. Sessions nonetheless vowed to remain in his position.

As for the the impeccably credentialed Mr. Mueller, Mr. Trump warned him against investigating his family finances. Recall that Mr. Trump hasn't released his tax returns and that he, as well as his son-in-law Jared Kushner, have had financial entanglements with Russian investors.

To investigate family finances would be a "violation" of Mr. Mueller's mandate, Mr. Trump warned. He said also that Mr. Mueller "should never have been appointed." He previously has accused Mr. Mueller of bias, as being a friend of James Comey, the fired FBI director. He has often suggested Mr. Mueller's team of investigators are predominantly Democratic and is now, according to the Washington Post, intensifying its effort to build a case of conflict of interest.

The signs clearly point to Mr. Mueller being set up for the fall. The Washington establishment can't quite believe Mr. Trump would go so far as to fire him. It would be seen as an egregious abuse of power, a blatant obstruction of justice, a president taking the law into his own hands.

But this is a man of extremes who has a record of going to extremes, his firing of Mr. Comey being just one example. Normal yardsticks for presidential behaviour do not apply.

Something has to explain the Trump obsession with the Russia file and the most likely rationale is vulnerability. If there was little or nothing for Mr. Mueller and his investigators to go on, Mr. Trump wouldn't be so transfixed. Nor would he be so soft on Russia. He did a good deed for Vladimir Putin this week by dropping U.S. support for anti-Assad Syrian rebels. Following his talks with the Russian leader at the G20 summit, the timing was interesting.

Besides Mr. Trump having himself to protect, there is also the matter of family. Some reports suggest investigators are strong on the trail of Mr. Kushner. In the election the Russians targeted Hillary Clinton with scandalous misinformation in swing vote areas, right down to small precincts. How did the Russians get such granular voter data? Was it with the help of the Trump campaign official in charge of digital operations, it being Mr. Kushner?

Donald Trump can't allow himself and his family to go down. The closer Mr. Mueller gets to damning evidence in his inquiry, the more likely the axe will fall.

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