Distract and Deflect

Guy de Lusignan: Give me a war.
Reynald de Chatillon: That is what I do.
--Kingdom of Heaven

When politicians need to wiggle out of jams, they often seek to distract and deflect. 

Distraction diverts public attention away from political problems. For example, when an investigation reveals evidence of a domestic political scandal, begin squawking about growing geopolitical conflict in far flung lands. Or perhaps create a war to veer public hounds off the scent.

Deflection means shifting blame for a political problem somewhere else. For instance, when foreign conflict jeopardizes flows of economic resources due to battle damage or trade sanctions, blame that conflict for rising domestic prices or shortages.

The current administration is clumsily employing both tactics currently.