Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump sets up a contest of credibility he simply cannot win
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-sets-contest-credibility-he-simply-cannot-win?cid=sm_fb_maddowPosted with permission.
Trump sets up a contest of credibility he simply cannot win
06/09/17 08:42 AMUpdated 06/09/17 09:22 AM
By Steve Benen
The list of Donald Trump falsehoods exposed by former FBI Director James Comey over the last two days isnt short.
Trump was asked on Fox News last month whether he ever asked Comey for his loyalty. Trump responded, No, I didnt. Trump was asked at a White House press conference last month, Did you at any time urge former FBI Director James Comey in any way, shape, or form to close or to back down the investigation into Michael Flynn? Trump replied, No. No. Next question.
Trump was asked by NBC News Lester Holt about the private dinner he had with Comey, and the president said Comey asked for the dinner. Trump said Comey had called him on the phone in the weeks that followed to tell the president he wasnt under investigation. Trump said Comey was fired in part because FBI personnel had lost confidence in the bureaus director.
Each of these claims now appears to be a brazen lie the president told the American public.
But wait, Republicans will argue, we dont know for sure that Trump was lying. What we have here is a he said, he said dispute. For all we know, the GOP argument goes, perhaps Comeys claims are untrue and the president has been completely honest.
And while that may make the White House and its allies feel better, this posture isnt quite right.
On the surface, much of the controversy involves private conversations between two people, each of whom have presented contradictory versions of events to the public. But just below the surface, as Rachel explained on the show last night, there are some layers to the contest of credibility between Trump and Comey.
On the one hand, we see the former FBI director, whos now testified under oath under threat of perjury. He has detailed memos, written contemporaneously, that bolster his assertions. He also shared the details of his interactions with the president also contemporaneously with the deputy director of the FBI, his chief of staff, the FBIs general counsel, the FBI deputy directors chief counsel, and on several occasions, the FBIs associate deputy director and the head of the FBIs national security branch.
On the other hand, we see Donald J. Trump, who, if were being very charitable, can be described as having earned a reputation for fighting a losing battle against the truth. If were less charitable, we might note that Trump is one of the most shamelessly dishonest people in American public life. Either way, hes offered literally nothing but his own word to back up his claims.
The president and his outside counsel would apparently have us believe that the former FBI director perjured himself yesterday, committing a felony with false testimony. Its Comeys word against Trumps, and the expectation is that everyone lawmakers, voters, journalists, et al should believe the latter over the former, despite the presidents total lack of trustworthiness on any subject.
With calls for the president to give sworn testimony on his version of events now inevitable, Trumps effectively created a contest of credibility he is certain to lose.
Postscript: White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders assured reporters yesterday, I can definitively say the president is not a liar. Has Trump World really been reduced to lying about lying?
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
2 replies, 2948 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (10)
ReplyReply to this post
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Trump sets up a contest of credibility he simply cannot win (Original Post)
babylonsister
Jun 2017
OP
pbmus
(12,422 posts)1. Nihilistic dystopia is Trumpian goal...
longship
(40,416 posts)2. Nicely put!
That's just about the accounting of things.
R&