By Dustin Rowles | Politics | May 16, 2017 |
By Dustin Rowles | Politics | May 16, 2017 |
I try to avoid the left-wing conspiracy nutjobs, and even some of the more reasonable far left outlets like The Daily Kos, but I spend my day largely in Times, Post, Politico Lawfare echo chamber (and Lawfare may have the most reasoned response to the latest Trump scandal), so it is NPR — believe it or not — that often grounds me in the mornings. What are they covering? How hard are they hitting it? The right may have a problem with NPR because it’s, you know, sophisticated, but it’s incredibly even handed (sometimes, frustratingly so) and they’re really good about presenting both sides, if there’s another reasonable side.
There is no reasonable other side to this latest Trump flap, and on NPR this morning, the alarm bells were ringing just as loudly as they were on CNN last night. Our President f*cked up. Bigly. I mean, he f*cked up last week when he fired James Comey, but he really fucked up by sharing classified intel with the enemy. Last night, HR McMaster and Dina Powell came out and offered their half-hearted defense of Trump — that the story is false, and that he never discussed “sources or methods” — but Trump this morning (as he did after the Comey firing) once again contradicted his own staff, throwing HR McMaster under the bus.
As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2017
…to terrorism and airline flight safety. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2017
Humanitarian reasons, my ass.
Ok, let's put aside the "he contradicted his aides" subplot. They've now all appeared to confirm the core of the reporting.
— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) May 16, 2017
But here’s the thing: He essentially confirmed the Washington Post story (which has also been confirmed by the Times, AP, Buzzfeed, CNN, and Reuters). He threw is aides under the bus.
I almost feel bad for WH staff. Trump demands they lie for him & then next day reveals the truth. Integrity compromised for nothing.
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) May 16, 2017
To summarize…
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) May 16, 2017
Tillerson: He didn't do it.
McMaster: I was there. He didn't do it.
Dina Powell: Lies! He didn't do it.
Trump: Yep I did it.
WH STAFF: It didn't happen.
— jake (@jakebeckman) May 16, 2017
TRUMP: pic.twitter.com/nPG6MUs8hU
He also f*cked over every Republican who hedged their bets last night by saying, “This is disturbing, if true …”
Well, it’s true. So what’s up Republicans, is it still “disturbing”? Because it sure as hell feels disturbing to me. Hell, Trump has even got the right-wing blogs in a knot.
My favorite is over at the Daily Caller where back-to-back stories by the same author pivot seamlessly from "didn't happen" to "it's fine." pic.twitter.com/8ve0g5q0HM
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) May 16, 2017
So, what’s up, Fox News? What are you running on the top fold today?
Oh, a conspiracy theory designed to suggest that the Russians didn’t hack the DNC, that a DNC operative hacked the DNC? Desperate much?
Fareed put this in perspective the best: Our Democracy is in danger. We must keep it alive.
Remarkable essay by @FareedZakaria: "Our task is, quite simply, to keep alive the spirit of American democracy." https://t.co/mHrDOtC2Ix
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 14, 2017
Ya burnt, Trump. It may not happen today, or next week, or even next month. But you’re done. This is a downward spiral that’s near damn impossible to pull out of.
Update: Fears confirmed.
BREAKING: European official to AP: Country might stop sharing intel with US if Trump gave classified info to Russian diplomats.
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 16, 2017