Back when I was teaching (Middle School) we had a sign on the wall that said: “Tell the Truth, there’s less to remember.” Someone should send that sign to Trump’s “White House” and hope that the message it portrays would sink in. That would help prevent the fiasco that has transpired as Trump’s surrogates have attempted to defend the indefensible regarding the reasoning behind Trump’s firing of James Comey. Vice President Pense (on many occasions) was quoted as saying Trump fired Comey based on the recommendation of the Assistant Attorney General Rosenstein, Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer (who LIES virtually every day for Trump) said the same thing in response to questions from reporters as did advisor Kellyanne Conway and assistant press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders (who, today, said she didn’t see why people considered it a problem today when Trump, essentially, “cut off their knees” by saying he had already decided to fire Comey before meeting with Rosenstein).
This is normal with today’s White House. We have a president who’s a pathological LIAR and continues to verify that “diagnosis” (obviously, I’m just a retired teacher – but when you’ve spent most of your life dealing with “Middle Schoolers” you learn how to identify LIARS). Now, as Comey himself today verified, the director of the FBI serves at the pleasure of the President and Trump had every right to fire him. The problem arose from the way it was done, the timing, and the LYING intended to justify – and deflect from the truth – the real reason Comey was fired. (Not to mention Trump’s attempt to destroy Comey’s character in an interview he [foolishly] granted to Lester Holt where he essentially admitted to obstructing justice) I watched today as pundit after pundit tried to figure out the real reason why Trump actually fired Comey and most, in my opinion, missed it. They did make the connection to Trump’s frustration that the “Russia investigation” is getting dangerously close but I believe Comey said something during testimony last week to the Senate Judiciary Committee that was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” for Trump. Remember, you read it here first! :o)
During the testimony Comey was asked about his decision to “re-open” the Clinton email investigation just 11 days prior to the election which violated all FBI protocol and, by most sources, is the reason Trump is sitting in the White House. Comey’s response to that question, I believe, is why he’s no longer the head of the FBI. He said, “I feel slightly nauseous that the decision I made could have had an impact on the election” – or words to that affect. I can only imagine sitting next to Trump as he watched his FBI director say he felt “nauseous” because he may be the reason Trump is president. Now, keep in mind, Trump is the closest thing to a classic NARCISSIST that I’ve ever seen. I have no doubt that would be interpreted by Trump as the ultimate “slam.” It’s been reported that Trump tried to get a “loyalty pledge” from Comey and, instead, got a promise of honesty. Put those two things together along with the advancing FBI investigation (just last week Comey was asking for more resources to allow the FBI to ramp up the investigation) and you have the real reason Comey was fired.
Trump may be a good real estate person, but he’s in way over his head in the political arena – which he clearly demonstrated during this latest fiasco. (It seems everything he touches has fiasco written all over it) In his letter to Comey, letting him know he was fired, Trump did the unthinkable – as if he’s got no advisors giving him sensible advice (I mean, I would have counseled him against this one) – he said something like thanking Comey for telling him three times that he was not under investigation in the Russian investigation. What???!! Are you kidding me? I would know better than to do that. Aside from the FACT he shouldn’t be asking Comey if he’s “under investigation” (I don’t believe Comey told him that he wasn’t – I mean it makes me uncomfortable writing this knowing my president is this foolish) I believe he’s created ANOTHER opportunity for republicans to end this nightmare – from most accounts simply asking Comey if he’s “under investigation” is potentially “obstruction of justice.”
Trump himself said that during a dinner meeting with Comey where Comey was saying he wanted to remain as the director of the FBI he asked Comey if he was “under investigation?” Now, put yourself in Comey’s shoes. If you were lobbying to keep your job and your boss asked you a question like that – well, I’m hoping Comey didn’t simply say “yes.” I’m sure we’ll eventually find out – but, from all accounts, whether you like Comey or not (and, I’ve certainly expressed my displeasure in his interference in the 2016 election – he’s going to get an uncertain, at this time, place in history over helping put Trump into the presidency and now getting fired just as the Russian investigation is “heating up”) he is regarded by almost everyone I’ve listened to who knows him or works with him as an honest up front type of person. I still remember him, during the Bush/Cheney years, making a stand against the use of illegal wiretapping by the Bush/Cheney administration. (At that point in time I definitely admired him) I believe Trump is compounding his mistake by characterizing Comey as a “grandstanding showboat.” Most people refer to him as being more like a boy scout. This is not going to end well for Trump.
The reality that needs to sink in at the White House is that if, as they say, there’s no “there there,” they should STOP the LYING and pontificating. Mike Pense, who I’m not the only person who thinks he’s likely the “next president” needs to stop the constant LYING for Trump who would clearly throw anyone “under the bus” – based on my interpretation of listening to his comments during the Holt interview – if that’s what it would take to save his skin. While Trump was demeaning Comey’s character he was still defending Mike Flynn – who’s very possibly hearing the chant “lock him up” in the not too distant future. I believe Trump is still defending Flynn because he doesn’t want Flynn angry enough with him to “spill the beans.” If, after Flynn gets whatever he’s going to “get,” regarding the problems he has with taking money illegally from foreign interests without permission from the Defense department and then not reporting it on various national security forms and not registering as a foreign agent, if Trump pardons him we know why there’s the “sweet talk” now.
But, Trump had no second thoughts about undermining Pense and the other White House surrogates who were sent out to give a false reason for Comey’s firing. Yesterday I listened in near disgust as Ms. Sanders – who I had never seen before – was a bit combative as she basically seemed incredulous that the press corp was expecting HONESTY from Trump’s spokespersons. Trump and his minions are, every day, showing the authoritarian tendencies that put many Americans (including me) off. I’m sure that today they will be acting as if nothing happened and will be complaining that none of the “good” is getting reported. The solution to that problem is For Trump to show his taxes and encourage an independent investigation into the Russia issue. If there’s “nothing there” he should act as if there’s “nothing there” and ease people’s minds. Most Americans DON’T want politicians or their surrogates colluding with foreign governments to interfere in our elections – with Russia being at or near the top of the list.
Trump actually acted as if he still doesn’t understand this investigation into Russian interference is REAL and, at the very minimum, several of his surrogates are in jeopardy not to mention his own role – whatever it may have been. I keep thinking back to the Republican National Convention where Trump’s surrogates made only one change to the platform – and, it had to do with undermining support for Ukraine and reducing opposition to Putin’s interests in Ukraine. I heard an interview where Trump himself said he was OK with that change. Certainly made me wonder at the time, why? Well, since that time, the “wonder” has grown considerably. I believe if Trump really has nothing to worry about (as mentioned above) he’d be encouraging an independent investigation and he’d be showing his tax returns to make sure we all know, one way or another, whether he’s got financial ties to Russia. One thing I’ve learned through all this is the sophistication of the Russians as they turn people, unsuspecting in many instances, into “assets.” I keep thinking about the so-called “dossier” that was published by Buzzfeed and wondering how much of that will ultimately be corroborated.
I listened to Steve Schmidt the other night, who is a leading republican consultant and who, it appears to me, is one of the few (republicans) who actually “tell it like it is” – even though I don’t always agree with his conclusions – challenging republicans in Congress to face up to the reality that they are the ones responsible for “fixing” this problem. He. like me, is TIRED of all the LYING and he realizes the long term damage that is being done to the “republican brand” because of Trump’s incompetence. As he said, “the world is watching.” This all would be embarrassing if it weren’t so serious. We’re getting to the point where NO ONE believes anything coming out of Trump’s mouth and where virtually all those whose job is reporting to the American people about the actions of the White House are questioning the words of Trump’s surrogates. I’m convinced that KellyAnne Conway is not seen much on TV as one of Trump’s advisors is because people just tired of her CONSTANT lying. If Pense does assume the role of President, he needs to remember that All of his LIES are being safely stored in data bases that will be used to question his veracity in the future. It’s one thing to be loyal – it’s quite another to continue LYING to the American people. It’s time for Pense to start making sure what he says in public is going to be backed up by Trump.
Trump is about to leave on a trip over seas and I’m worried that he’s going to embarrass himself and “we the people” who somehow allowed him to gain this position. To me, this (foreign policy) is where Trump’s presidency gets really dangerous. He has proven time and again that he does not understand government, he doesn’t understand American history, he doesn’t understand world events, and he has a propensity to coddle dictators. He’s never said a bad word about Vladimir Putin (and, astonishingly, right in the middle of the Comey fiasco, he met with the very Russian “ambassador” in the “middle” of the Russian controversy – apparently at the suggestion of Putin himself – with Russian journalists present and not American. I could write a post on that one alone.), he’s complimented Duterte of the Philippines and invited him to the White House, and he met in the White House with the president of Egypt, and called Kim Jong Un a “smart cookie.” Actually, I’d be OK with all of that had Trump not been rude to the Chancellor of Germany and leaders of other countries allied with the US or had he not seemed to be endorsing Putin’s candidate in the French elections. Republican presidents are confusing to me: Bush had a thing with pushing democracy everywhere, Trump seems almost the opposite. As Mr. Schmidt said the other night, “the world is watching.”
He’s still claiming that “If the Russians interfered in our election I want to know about it.” This is over 6 MONTHS since it became the UNIVERSAL conclusion of all 17 facets of our intelligence community. The heads of each of those departments testified as such to Congress – I remember them being asked if Russia interfered with the election with the intention of helping Trump and hurting Clinton – one by one the each answered “yes.” That was months ago – and, Trump is still wondering if it was Russia? (or maybe China, or who knows?) The man is not credible. In fact, after listening to him yesterday in the interview with Holt I came away thinking he’s delusional. Pathological liars believe their own lies – they are constantly making things up to suit the circumstances, which is exactly why at the beginning of this post I referred to the sign at my school that said “Tell the truth, there’s less to remember.” Trump is running into this problem seemingly every day and the Comey fiasco is just one more example. (When there’s film vaults full of your previous lies, and people realize LYING is the norm, it’s really hard to get away with the “revisions.”)
Final Thought: It really is time for the republicans in Congress to intervene and stop the LYING by ending Trump’s term as president. He’s daily giving them reasons to do so – yesterday admitting to what amounts to “obstruction of justice” by asking Comey if he is “under investigation” – not to mention ALL the violations of the emoluments clause in the constitution regarding his many properties and financial entanglements around the world. Who knows what his taxes would reveal – there’s got to be a good reason why he won’t show them. They need to stop this before Trump gets to the point where he’s seen as pathetic – which will soon be the case unless there’s a miraculous “turnaround.” I’m guessing, at this point, the real estate business is looking quite good to Trump again!