Clean up, Aisle 1600: White House says Trump didn
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Posted On: 10/22/2020 6:25:15 AM
Clean up, Aisle 1600: White House says Trump didn’t really mean that thing about declassifying Russia documents
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/...documents/
By Aaron Blake
Oct. 20, 2020 at 2:07 p.m. CDT
For the better part of five years now, President Trump’s allies have been put in the unenviable position of arguing that the things he says shouldn’t be taken literally — that the word of the candidate and then president shouldn’t be taken at face value because, well, sometimes he just says things.
It’s a thoroughly convenient stance that allows them to believe and defend the things they want to while discounting virtually anything that’s inconvenient.
But on Tuesday, we got one of the most remarkable episodes in this saga to date: The top aide to Trump assured a court of law that what the president had said on Twitter wasn’t, in fact, what he meant and had virtually no real impact on what the U.S. government does.
In a sworn court filing Tuesday, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows downplayed Trump’s recent tweet declaring that he had authorized the declassification of all related to the Russia investigation.
Trump on Oct. 6 made waves by writing: “I have fully authorized the total Declassification of any & all documents pertaining to the single greatest political CRIME in American History, the Russia Hoax. Likewise, the Hillary Clinton Email Scandal. No redactions!”
I have fully authorized the total Declassification of any & all documents pertaining to the single greatest political CRIME in American History, the Russia Hoax. Likewise, the Hillary Clinton Email Scandal. No redactions! https://t.co/GgnHh9GOiq
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2020
The tweet instantly set off intrigue. Whatever Trump might have thought he was declassifying when it came to the supposed law enforcement “coup” against him, or Clinton’s emails, his tweet would also mean he had declassified items that might not reflect so well upon him.
What about the redacted portions of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report? What about the evidence that was collected against him over the course of the Russia investigation that preceded it? Trump had seemingly opened himself up to a minefield of information that could suddenly be available to the public — on the eve of the election, no less.
Alas, as the president’s aides have held many times before, Meadows said Trump was effectively just spouting off ..............................................
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/...documents/
By Aaron Blake
Oct. 20, 2020 at 2:07 p.m. CDT
For the better part of five years now, President Trump’s allies have been put in the unenviable position of arguing that the things he says shouldn’t be taken literally — that the word of the candidate and then president shouldn’t be taken at face value because, well, sometimes he just says things.
It’s a thoroughly convenient stance that allows them to believe and defend the things they want to while discounting virtually anything that’s inconvenient.
But on Tuesday, we got one of the most remarkable episodes in this saga to date: The top aide to Trump assured a court of law that what the president had said on Twitter wasn’t, in fact, what he meant and had virtually no real impact on what the U.S. government does.
In a sworn court filing Tuesday, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows downplayed Trump’s recent tweet declaring that he had authorized the declassification of all related to the Russia investigation.
Trump on Oct. 6 made waves by writing: “I have fully authorized the total Declassification of any & all documents pertaining to the single greatest political CRIME in American History, the Russia Hoax. Likewise, the Hillary Clinton Email Scandal. No redactions!”
I have fully authorized the total Declassification of any & all documents pertaining to the single greatest political CRIME in American History, the Russia Hoax. Likewise, the Hillary Clinton Email Scandal. No redactions! https://t.co/GgnHh9GOiq
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2020
The tweet instantly set off intrigue. Whatever Trump might have thought he was declassifying when it came to the supposed law enforcement “coup” against him, or Clinton’s emails, his tweet would also mean he had declassified items that might not reflect so well upon him.
What about the redacted portions of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report? What about the evidence that was collected against him over the course of the Russia investigation that preceded it? Trump had seemingly opened himself up to a minefield of information that could suddenly be available to the public — on the eve of the election, no less.
Alas, as the president’s aides have held many times before, Meadows said Trump was effectively just spouting off ..............................................
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