Trump's Russian Messages: Mixed & Raise More Doubts About His Thinking Skills

The Putin two-step — Cheering in the background from FOX News

(A turnaround in only one day)

How to spell and define pathetically disgusting in the same sentence? Easy: FOX NEWS based on this – their weak-ass turnabout support for more Trump lies.

Trump one day after his Helsinki gaffe: “The Trump grammar test of his sentence he says should have been: “I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia,” sort of a double negative. So you can put that in and I think that probably clarifies things pretty good.”

Actually, no, that does not clarify or satisfy anything except a weak BS excuse. Recall Trump told us all that he had the best Ivy League education, had the best words of anyone, and well just didn’t make mistakes in speech. Okay, how come he doesn’t know the diff between would and wouldn’t how to use them in a sentence?

The FOX BS based on the background to this point – only three days, BTW:

On July 16, Trump lost the support of even some of his closest allies when he questioned his own intelligence community and legitimized Putin’s denial of Russian meddling, saying, “I don’t see any reason why it would be” Russia that attempted to interfere in the U.S. election. The next day, under intense pressure from aides and supporters, Trump made the laughable claim that he accidentally “said the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t’” during his press conference with Putin. He went on, “The sentence should have been, 'I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia’” that meddled in the 2016 election.

Many media outlets were quick to point out that the full context of Trump’s remarks indicated he was, in fact, accepting Putin’s denial of Russian meddling over the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion. But on Fox News, friends of Trump defied this reality and ran with Trump’s obvious lie:

·        Sean Hannity: “President Trump clarified his remarks from the summit, made it perfectly clear that he trusts our Intel agencies.”

·        Lou Dobbs: “Fortunately for [Trump’s critics], the president took pity on them and gave them a statement today to the effect he had misspoken,” and later: commented that Trump is “being as presidential and forthright and effective as any president in modern history, more so in my judgment,” but his critics “don’t want to play straight.”

·        Kristin Fisher: “This should go a long way to satisfy or at least quell some of the president's critics.”

·        Jesse Watters accepted Trump’s claim that his comment at the press conference with Putin as “a gaffe” and praised him for admitting his mistake, calling his admission “historic.”

·        Sandra Smith said Trump was “admitting he misspoke” while discussing Russian election meddling and “making it clear he does indeed support the intelligence community,” and she also called Trump’s dubious clarification “a walk-back to remember.”

·        Trish Regan: Trump “might have misspoken” because “perhaps he was tired.”

·        FOX & Friends parroted Trump's dubious excuse for his disastrous press conference with Putin: "He had misspoken."

·        Laura Ingraham and her panel complained that Trump’s clarification “wasn’t good enough” for Democrats or the media.

Then this very dramatic story – quite long and here for your review – pretty good article, too, in part this introduction:

Title: “After Trump's defense of Putin, sighs of resignation — but nobody's resigning (yet)”

How can they stand by and with him 

After siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his own intelligence services, Trump found himself on the receiving end of some of the harshest intra-party criticism of his time in office.

From Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): He called it “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.

Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney (R-UT): Said it was “disgraceful and detrimental.”

Even FOX News, the president’s favorite channel, found itself unable to fully stand by the president, with anchor Neil Cavuto calling the performance “disgusting.”

This outrage has led to calls that Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dan Coats (R-IN), or Defense Secretary James Mattis should resign in protest and reminders of how Trump began his term attacking the intelligence community, including comparing them to Nazis. One member of the administration reportedly replied “Good question” when asked by CNN if anyone would resign over the summit press conference. Others dismissed the idea.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) said that a resignation from Mattis or Coats would be counterproductive, saying: “It’s cutting your nose off in spite of your face when you have people who at least are giving good advice, whether the president takes it or not.”

As of Wednesday morning (July 18), no one had stepped down over Trump’s comments, but this again raises the question that many have asked throughout Trump’s term: “Why stick around for the abuse from your boss and scorn from much of the public and the mainstream media, even longtime friends, possibly even your spouse?”

It is impossible to overstate the disdain for Trump and anyone associated with him in elite circles in the Northeast and on the West Coast.

Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz doesn’t even have a job in the administration but recently complained that his endorsements of Trump’s legal position in the Russia probe are costing him prized invitations to cocktail parties on Martha’s Vineyard. What could possibly make it worth enduring such humiliation?

AG Jeff Sessions (R-AL) probably isn’t staying in his job out of loyalty to the president who has repeatedly bullied and taunted him. Does he stay out of a sense of duty to the nation, or loyalty to the administration’s policies? Should Coats remain despite being repeatedly undercut by the Oval Office because his replacement might not be as competent — or could resigning give him a larger platform to push back against the administration?

This story continues at the link above – enjoy.  

My 2 cents: Not much I can add to these two pieces about this extraordinary story except maybe to ask the this all GOP-run Congress: Why are you not doing your duty to the country that you always advocate in your floor speeches, so do your duty now to the public and get off your asses to work and stop this man and his madness, or at best: Work to remove him from office – and the sooner the better for the nation’s sake – not for your reelection prospects.

Thanks for stopping by.

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