Melissa McEwan on the NSC staffs' and H. R. McMaster's transparent -- and quickly debunked by none other than Rump himself -- non- denial denial of Rump's leaking highly classified information to the Russians:
National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster was sent out to refute the report with a carefully and mendaciously worded statement that misrepresented what the WaPo had reported, which was not that Trump had shared intelligence sources, intelligence methods, or military operations... [snip]
By mischaracterizing what had been reported, McMaster was staking his own credibility on refuting something that no one had even accused Trump of doing. And naturally, the foolishness of letting his reputation rely on Trump's integrity immediately became evident (though it should have been already), as Trump's morning tweetshitz included an admission that he had indeed disclosed information to the Russians and had every right to do so.Steve Benen on Rump consistently making fools out of senior regime officials:
Last week, after Donald Trump fired the FBI director overseeing an investigation into Trump’s Russia scandal, White House aides, including Vice President Mike Pence, were quick to insist the two stories were completely unrelated. The president himself said soon after that he was motivated to dismiss James Comey because of the investigation, making his own team look ridiculous and dishonest.
This morning, it’s happened again, this time on the matter of Trump sharing highly sensitive secrets with Russian officials.
Last night, as Team Trump scrambled to contain the damage of its latest self-imposed scandal, the White House insisted the reports were wrong. Dina Powell, a deputy national security advisor, insisted, “This story is false. The president only discussed the common threats both countries faced.” Soon after, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson both made similar attempts to knock down the allegations. The president, they insisted, didn’t do anything of the kind. [snip]
...[M]embers of Team Trump surely realize by now that their boss is humiliating them without any real forethought. If they choose not to resign, they’ll do further damage to their reputations.Dana Milbank on Sean Spicer and others who have tried to serve this Giant Toddler:
... Washington is abuzz with speculation about when Spicer will be shown the door, but it doesn’t really matter. His credibility, and his dignity, have already been defenestrated.
He will soon be added to the heap of unhappy people who cast their lots with Trump and were repaid with misery.
Trump entities have filed for bankruptcy protection six times. Investors, lenders and workers took hits — and Trump moved on. Trump was caught on tape boasting to Billy Bush about sexually assaulting women — and Billy Bush lost his job. Corey Lewandowski and Paul Manafort poured themselves into Trump’s campaign and were unceremoniously dumped.
The carnage has increased since Trump came to Washington. National security adviser Michael Flynn is out and potentially in legal trouble. The FBI’s Comey arguably handed Trump the election — and learned of his dismissal from TV. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein tarnished his sterling reputation in just two weeks.The longer it takes for those being used by this malevolent narcissist to find some self- respect (and dare we say, courage), the more damage will be done to our country. Given the track record so far, it would seem holding on to the semblance of power counts far more than one's reputation or sense of duty to country. You would almost feel sorry for them if they weren't such despicable, ethics- free hypocrites.
BONUS: Scott Lemieux has a great read on Republicans willing to sell their country down the Volga for the most awful reasons.
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