Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Trump Gets the Memo

Before the election, there was a fun story some of you might have noticed where, in a deposition, Trump's very own bankruptcy lawyers explained that they had to meet with him in pairs to be assured of getting the same story from him, because his story could change from moment to moment and person to person, and perhaps he would "forget" what he last said.

Those were his own lawyers saying under oath that Donald Trump was a big old liar and they did not trust him. So I think I understand very well why former FBI Director James Comey took copious memos of his interactions with Trump. He knew the story could change on him, and wanted good notes to check. This is a good way to deal with someone (Trump) who tells other people to get lost and then hits you up with a suggestion to let his buddy (Mike Flynn) off the hook because he's a great guy. A person who starts off like that and has the ability to fire you merits some pretty decent note-taking, you'd think? You know, in case it could come in handy in a dispute or a hearing or something.

I don't think it sounds vindictive at all--after all, the note-taking took place before the firing, not after. Unless someone is hinting that Comey's memos might be just as nebulous as Trump's "tapes".

That's another thing--the "tapes" that either do or don't exist and have been regularly denied at this point? Trump used that in a Tweet to imply he had a device that gave him leverage. Comey's memos seem to be a reply in kind--except I know which one I think has the kind of forethought to actually deliver, which might explain why the "tapes" are being denied. Consider the possibilities: a) Trump has "tapes" (digital, probably, because as with catapult systems on carriers, you can't use steam, apparently) which are being illegally gathered and might have much admissible incriminating evidence against Trump, or b) Trump is accusing Comey of having "tapes" because "wiretapping" which seems a little paranoid to actually believe, or c) pretty much a baseless threat against a witness lent some truth based on dodgy prior activity (?).  All of these things are stupid. The last feels stupidest. I call Trump's Razor. (But I am not a betting woman, so maybe tapes exist. Meh, she shrugged, licking her chops.)

And I know is, there are more memos and Comey will likely have things to say at a future congressional hearing. I'm sure Trump is confident that this will be just fine.  (Narrator: It would not be just fine.)

(Update: Also, Comey's memo mentioned that Trump wanted to put the press in prison for leaking, which sounds just like him. So, there's that.)

2 comments:

Cirze said...

Any tapes on publicly-owned grounds (White House) must be produced for the record re: Alexander Butterfield during Watergate hearing.

Right?

Ten Bears said...

The very first (white) "law" of this land was a mid-sixteen hundreds Virginia Commonweath mandate of twenty-five percent of all agricultural production be given over to hemp for the production of sailcloth. And rope.

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