Wag The Dog
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_dog
The term gained political clout in the 1990s, starting with the success of the 1993 novel Wag the Dog.
In 1997, a film came out based on that novel, Wag the Dog. In it, a president was failing in his re-election bid, and came up with the scheme of using military action to save his campaign. This became a "reality" the year after it was released, when Bill Clinton faced impeachment during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, where he was caught in the felony of committing perjury.
Days after the scandal broke, Bill Clinton ordered missile strikes against two countries, Afghanistan and Sudan. During impeachment proceedings, Clinton also bombed Iraq, drawing further "wag the dog" allusions. With the scandal still on the public's mind in March 1999, his administration launched a bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.
ATTACK ON IRAQ: THE OVERVIEW; IMPEACHMENT VOTE IN HOUSE DELAYED AS CLINTON LAUNCHES IRAQ AIR STRIKE, CITING MILITARY NEED TO MOVE SWIFTLY - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/17/world/attack-iraq-overview-impeachment-vote-house-delayed-clinton-launches-iraq-air.html
