'Reckless, impulsive, self-destructive': Psychiatrists warn Mueller report gives more evidence Trump is mentally unfit

Three psychiatrists have written an editorial for the Boston Globe warning that special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election shows more evidence that President Donald Trump is mentally unfit to hold office.

The psychiatrists -- Dr. Bandy X. Lee of Yale, Dr. Leonard L. Glass of Harvard Medical School, and Edwin B. Fisher of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill -- argue that Mueller's report provides a disturbing new window into the president's behavior, which is frequently marked by impulsive emotional meltdowns.

"The pattern that emerges of the president is one of rash, short-sighted decision-making, without consideration of consequences," they write. "Reckless, impulsive moves that are self-destructive, despite the intention of self-protection, are characteristic of dangerous impairment. They impede Trump’s capacity to prioritize national security."

They then quote from sections of the Mueller report that illustrate these behaviors, including his efforts to dangle pardons to potential witnesses and his effort to get Mueller fired as special counsel.

They say that his ordering former White House counsel Don McGahn to get rid of Mueller should be seen as especially alarming given how inherently self-destructive it was.

"In a post-Nixon era, and especially after the experience of firing Comey, a rational, non-impulsive person with reality-based decision-making would hesitate before pursuing this path," they write. "He apparently believed he could use all the powers at his disposal to have his way, and almost delusionally expected impunity. Such a mindset of false beliefs in freedom from consequences is extremely dangerous when coupled with power and is great cause for alarm in the US presidency."

Read the whole editorial here.