Is being a “trustworthy liar” a thing?
There was an exchange where Comey explained what he was referring to when he told Trump (multiple times) that he was not personally under investigation which seems to be totally ignored by the media, and pretty much everyone it seems.
Comey said specifically in his testimony today that he was trying to assure Trump that he was not personally being investigated about the Steele Dossier (aka “pee pee tapes” and hookers) in order to not give Trump the impression he was in a “Hoover”-type situation where the FBI was in essence in a position to blackmail or hold that investigation as leverage against Trump.
Here is the exact exchange I am referring to above:
COLLINS: Did you limit that statement to counterintelligence invest – investigations, or were you talking about any FBI investigation?
COMEY: I didn’t use the term counterintelligence. I was briefing him about salacious and unverified material. It was in a context of that that he had a strong and defensive reaction about that not being true. My reading of it was it was important for me to assure him we were not person investigating him. So the context then was actually narrower, focused on what I just talked to him about. It was very important because it was, first, true, and second, I was worried very much about being in kind of a Jay Hoover type situation. I didn’t want him thinking I was briefing him on this to sort of hang it over him in some way. I was briefing him on it because, because we had been told by the media it was about to launch. We didn’t want to be keeping that from him. He needed to know this was being said. I was very keen not to leave him with an impression that the bureau was trying to do something to him. So that’s the context in which I said, sir, we’re not personally investigating you.
The entire framing and context of what Comey was saying to Trump was, we are not investigating you personally in regards to the Steele Dossier (aka “pee pee and hookers”) as a way for the Bureau to coerce you and have leverage against you.
Why is it that nobody in the media seems to be picking that up?
Dog bites man–not news.
Man bites dog–news.
Trump is untrustorthy and a liar (see Mike above)–no news.
Move along folks. Nothing to see here.
That Trump is an untrustworthy liar isn’t news.
He is not a liar. He is a fucking liar.
but the President feels completely vindicated…
“Untrustworthy liar” is far too kind. Dangerous lying sack of shit more accurate.
Yes. If Trump’s lips are moving, you can be confident that he’s lying.
I feel that it’s pretty big news that Comey is confident that the question of obstruction of justice is being investigated by Mueller.
Maybe because they’re generally not that bright and bought and paid for by big oil, defense and pharma? Just throwing that out there.
If there’s one thing… more than his politics, more than his business “ethics”, more than all the other miserable qualities of the man… that defines Trump, it’s that he’s an unremorseful liar. A constant and deceitful liar. An unrepentant liar. A complete fabulist. It defines Trump in the minds of most Americans.
“I am not a crook.”
From KOS and if this doesn’t spin your guts…
"Ryan, while noting the investigation was ongoing, said there should always be independence between the White House and the FBI or Department of Justice. But he suggested Trump may not have known how to use the proper communications channels.
“The president’s new at this. He’s new at government,” Ryan said. “He’s not steeped in the long running protocols that establish the relationships between DOJ, FBI and White Houses.”"
"Comey’s Testimony Casts President Trump As An Untrustworthy Liar"
I’d say it also casts Comey as being mighty goddamned charitable!
The Trump movie: Absolutely Fabulist, where Ivanka falls in the Thames while Donald and the gang go under cover to avoid arrest and capture while trying to clear their name in a zany remake of, oh well, I thought I was going somewhere with that.
I bet Rachel Maddow or Laurence O’Donnell will mention it.
Ryan doesn’t care what goes on—as long as it hurts the poor as much as possible.
I still don’t understand why anyone even cares.
First of all, the answer to “am I personally under investigation” pretty much always has to be an implicit “not yet.” Seriously – if I ask some random law enforcement officer “am I under investigation for the murder of Jimmy Hoffa”, the expected reaction (not necessarily said out loud) would be something along the lines of “not at the moment, but would you like to tell me more about why you want to know?”
Second, there’s nothing that says the officer has to give me a straight answer. If I am under investigation, it may very well make sense for the answer to be something like “oh no, of course not. Now, carry on doing what you were doing while I don’t watch you at all, no way.”
I mean, I understand why Trump might want the reassurance of an answer. But why does anyone who is even marginally more sane than that man – not a very high bar to clear – think the answer mattered at all??? Who can 'splain this to me?
Comey’s Testimony Casts President Trump As An Untrustworthy Liar
Comey’s Testimony Reveals President Trump As An Untrustworthy Liar."
FIFY