Trump lies to cover the original lie, the White House tapes

He lied about the possibility of the tapes. He knew there were no tapes. So, when he tweeted, "James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" that was a lie, plain and simple.

Or, are you saying Trump is so stupid and naive that he didn't know if there were tapes?

Which is it? Those are the only two choices you have.

 

Trump's bizarre and lying tweet about the possibility of tapes did more than that. Trump's worse enemy is Trump.

When he tweeted "James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" that persuaded Comey to take certain steps that he hoped would cause the appointment of a special prosecutor. Those steps succeeded. One day after Comey's memos were reported in the New York Times, Deputy A.G. Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as an independent special prosecutor, much to the dismay of Trump who was surprised by the appointment.

So, in other words, Trump's foolish tweet caused the appointment of the special prosecutor, an appointment he strongly opposed. No one does more damage to Trump than Trump himself.

 

A bluff yes, a lie no. A lie would have been if he claimed to have taped the meeting yet he actually did not. We disagree upon what constitutes a lie.

Lying

: marked by or containing untrue statements
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lying

"James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" = bluff, I taped the meeting with Comey = lie.

I do not recognize you as one who has the authority to limit my choices.

 

Comey isn't in Trump's league when it comes to "making things up". However, a pathological liar like Trump just assumes that everybody else is a lying sack of $hit too. That is why Trump is always pre emptively lying about anything and everything. Trump is a really fascinating study in this pathology. What is even more fascinating is the phenomenon of his staunch backers who don't seem to care if he is a filthy liar as long as he is not a Democrat. Very interesting indeed. I wonder if Trump's hard core fan boys are also pathological....

 

Today Trump was the guest commentator on "Fox and Friends." He appears often as a guest commentator on Fox. As is his custom, whenever he makes a remarkable fool of himself, he doubles down and doubles the damage he does to himself to the chagrin of his lawyers who wish he would just shut up.

A day after he lied to cover a lie he made 42 days ago, on "Fox and Friends" Trump repeated the remarkably disingenuous statement he made yesterday. “I’ve been reading about it for the last couple of months about the seriousness of the horribleness of the situation with surveillance all over the place,” the President said in the interview. “So you never know what’s out there, but I didn’t tape, and I don’t have any tape and I didn’t tape.”

A more sanguine reporter on Fox pointed out the obvious. "All he has to do is ask."

But Trump wasn't through making a complete fool of himself. When the Fox interviewer suggested that the possible existence of recordings might make sure Comey “stayed honest in those hearings,” Trump paused before responding, “Well, it wasn’t very stupid, I can tell you that.”

Most of the rest of us, including his Republican colleagues on the Hill who offer no comment to the ludicrous situation created by the President, agree that it was abysmally stupid. Trump-friendly shows on Fox are talking about the healthcare bill, the nutcase who decided to vacation in North Korea and paid the ultimate price, investigation into Lynch's activities a year ago, anything not having to do with Trump's screwball tweet and his dumb comments later about tapes.

Then Trump speculated “when he found out that I, you know, that there may be tapes out there whether it’s governmental tapes or anything else and who knows, I think his story may have changed.”

He has absolutely no way of knowing that, and, since Comey's testimony is based entirely on the memos he wrote after each little chat with Trump, it is illogical to suggest he changed his story. It was moronic for Trump to even suggest such a thing.

But that is our President. Once he starts digging himself a hole, he just keeps digging and digging.

Lordy, what an embarrassment he is. Whatever compelled 25% of the electorate to vote for such a man? The 90 million eligible voters who stayed home on election day and the six million who wasted their vote on third party candidates and write-ins have got to be feeling the gravity of their gross error in judgment.

 

A bluff is what you use in poker. A bluff is what you use in games. Since he knew perfectly there were no tapes, to tell Americans that there is a possibility of tapes is a lie.

You can try to convince yourself that for some odd reason he wanted to pull a fast one on the American people, but you are only fooling yourself.

His admission, on Twitter Thursday that he did not secretly record his conversations with fired FBI Director James Comey -- after earlier raising the possibility that he did -- capped a six-week charade that damaged his presidency and cast doubt on his personal credibility.
It was a surreal new twist to a presidency that has often already stretched the limits of credulity, and has challenged conventions on the decorum and gravity expected in the behavior of the person who holds the office itself.

 

Bluff is not limited to the above.

Bluff

1. 1a : to deter or frighten by pretense or a mere show of strength bluffed them into surrenderingb : deceive bluff her way in without a ticketc : feign The catcher bluffed a throw to first.
   
   
2. 2 card games : to deceive (an opponent) by a bold bet on an inferior hand was bluffed out of a winning hand
   
   
3. intransitive verb
4. : to bluff someone : act deceptively You can tell when he is bluffing.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bluff

Ad hominem as I am not the topic.

 

The OP could have just quit at "Trump lies". It's exactly the phrase the leftists are scanning the forum for. No need to expound on it, or even support the claim ... "Trump lies" ... click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, ....

 

Okay, so Trump wanted to deter Comey or frighten him by pretense or a show of strength. That is what you are saying. Am I right?

Comey is an American lawyer who served as the seventh Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, subsequently the United States Deputy Attorney General in the administration of President George W. Bush. Comey appointed Patrick Fitzgerald to be the Special Counsel to head the grand jury investigation into the Plame affair after Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself.

Comey took copious notes after each discussion with Trump. His testimony was based on those notes. Comey is a seasoned veteran of Congressional hearings.

So, you are telling me that Trump is so freaking stupid that he thinks he can bluff a man like Comey. If that is true, Trump is far more stupid than I thought.

Also, he thinks it is a great idea to try vainly to "bluff" the American people and the news media for 41 days.

That is your way of defending Trump? Okay, I'm fine with that.

I sincerely apologize if I offended you when I said, "You can try to convince yourself that for some odd reason he wanted to pull a fast one on the American people, but you are only fooling yourself." I will remember that you are easily hurt. On the other hand, you were the topic of my reply to you.

 

I may have misinterpreted your intentions. However, I stand by what I have said.

 

Do you have a problem with members of the administration revealing the truth to Americans? Please explain why revealing the truth is a bad thing. I would be interested in your reply.

For example, CNN and NBC News were among the news organizations reporting DNI Coats told committee members in a closed hearing that Trump had asked him repeatedly to say publicly no Russian collusion occurred during the election.

Now that is kind of important, don't you think? Why the closed hearing? Why didn't Rep. Trey Gowdy inform the American people of this important development?

Instead, he is livid about the leak. "An outraged Rep. Trey Gowdy on Thursday slammed the news media for leaks of DNI Dan Coats testimony to the House Intelligence Committee "before the transcript's even dry.'"

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/media-leaks-Dan-Coats-collusion/2017/06/22/id/797760/

What else has been said behind closed doors that we don't know about? Trump fans loudly proclaim there is no evidence of collusion between the Russians and Trump's staff. Well, so far all the evidence and all the testimony in closed hearings has been in the hands of the Republican-led DOJ and staunch Trump supporter, Jeff Sessions, along with the Republican House and the Republican Senate. All bent on protecting the Republican President.

What other secrets are there?

Trump should be awfully concerned when independent-minded Robert Mueller begins reporting his work. There won't be any more secrets behind closed doors.

 

Oh god, you still think Trump had an arrangement with Russia Pssst. Did you
Know OBama is really a Kenyan spy....he really is...honest. Because you'll believe anything. Lol

 

Doesn't surprise me at all; Trump wouldn't recognize the truth if he tripped over it. The sad part is that that's probably what will go down as his legacy in the history books.

 

Please read my posts on this issue and respond.

Please read my posts on this issue and respond.

Did you read the OP on this issue? Do you disagree with the OP? If so, explain why and be specific.

 

I have a friend who voted for Trump. I forgave him but it was really hard. Anyway, my friend said Trump is a disruptor. He and his fellow voters sent him to disrupt Washington. That is exactly what Trump is doing. There is no Presidential decorum. He doesn't believe in anything, which is why he changes positions as often as he changes socks. His domestic agenda is in shambles. He has made enemies of our friends and tries in vain to make friends with our enemies. He called Kim a "smart cookie" and invited a stone cold killer to the Oval Office, Duterte of the Philippines.

He says the stupidest things. Daily he makes things worse for himself.

And during all this his fans cheer. Trump is doing exactly what they want him to do. That's why most of them don't defend him. Instead they stupid things designed to create anger. Most never say anything intelligent. They don't have to. In their minds they are winning.

Because Trump is disrupting.

Trump was elected by only 25% of the electorate and there is no accounting for good judgment.

 

Yes.

I agree.

No.

No. Think you are reading way too much into what I have said.

I was not offended, I just see ad hominem as divisive and counterproductive to a civil debate as it makes a person the focus rather than their argument.

How one judges another says more about the judge than the judged. I was not hurt at all.

Which is why it was an ad hominem as I am not the topic of the OP.

Ad hominem

1. : appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect an ad hominem argument
   
   
2. 2 : marked by or being an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the contentions made made an ad hominem personal attack on his rival
   
   
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ad hominem

 

I did read your half baked poppycock. And I gave you a more than adequate rebuttal most you which you either ignored or failed to understand.

 

If your misinterpretation of my intentions did not move you to change what you previously said, then why even bother telling me that you "may have misinterpreted (my) intentions"?

 

He is such a petty little man, and his defenders are having a hard time with this one. All they can do is claim his lie was not a lie, and he was trying to bluff Comey, a man ten times as smart as Trump.

 

This is your rebuttal?

You call that a rebuttal? Knowing there are no tapes and saying there could be tapes is a clear lie. Saying it isn't is not a rebuttal. It is avoiding reality. Then you claim both the CIA and FBI are out to hurt Trump. Is there anyone in government besides Ivanka and Melania who side with Trump? I think not. He is that bad.

The rest of your rebuttal is just nonsense and a meaningless personal attack.

One thing I have noticed about Trump fans. They have a hard time saying something intelligent, they avoid reality, and they just love personal attacks. Your posts provide an excellent example of what I am talking about.

 

I am still skeptical. Look closely to Trump's exact words on his tweet. He says he never had the conversation between him and Comey taped, and that he does not have any such tape. He does not say that that conversation was never taped. Is it possible that some one in his staff had installed a recording without his knowledge? (He does not have a good control over the things his staff does. What thinking person can speak his language? Actually most of them are busy running behind him with floor mops). Then, later he found out, and tweeted warning Comey, without realizing that such recording could hurt him more than help? And then, during this period of suspense the recording and all associated evidences have been destroyed, and all the participants are well coached?

 

Yeah, that's why Comey called trump a liar!

 

He does not know there are no tapes only that he didn't make any. These are two different things. He has more than sufficient reason to believe that his conversations are being listened to. And this is the second time I've tried to point out this fact to you but you seem oblivious to anything that doesn't fit into this cockamamie theory of yours.

 

Well, let's face it. With Trump, anything is possible.

You are right about one thing. He has absolutely no control over the White House. That surprises me, actually, he being an alpha male. But no one is in charge, and his press secretaries, by their own admission, have no idea where Trump stands on various issues.

Probably because Trump doesn't know himself.

 

Okay, I will agree with you. Trump has absolutely no idea if there are any tapes in the Trump White House.

I can go along with that. Seems about right. He doesn't know if he is being taped.