Marshall, TPM again - "They are Trapped in His Lies"
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/theyre-trapped-in-his-lies
By JOSH MARSHALL Published MAY 11, 2017 1:51 PM
I mentioned earlier that we shouldnt forget this simple point.
Virtually everyone of note in the White House has already repeated and vouched for President Trumps story of how and why he fired James Comey. Not only was this story a plain absurdity on day one; all the information which has emerged over the last two days has tended to confirm its falsity. Heres the key point.
Everyone who has repeated it knows its false. They have knowingly lied on the Presidents behalf and about a matter of grave national importance. That includes the Vice President. So in the extreme scenario that the President leaves office and is succeeded by the Vice President, the sitting President will still be directly implicated in this lie and this cover-up.
But theres an additional problem for everyone in the White House and all the Presidents defenders in Congress. And its a big one.
Its not only that the President has implicated all of these people in his lies and deceptions about Comeys firing. It is that he will not even stick to his story.
So just a short time ago, NBC released footage of its interview with the President conducted by Lester Holt. In that interview Trump is crystal clear that he decided to fire Comey entirely on his own. He asked Rosenstein to write out his views. But he was going to fire Comey regardless.
That specifically contradicts what Pence said in an impromptu press conference yesterday on Capitol Hill.
Trump is like a wild fire hose whipping about violently, driven not by coils and water pressure but his own demons and rage. He will say whatever he wants at any given moment based on emotion, impulse, and his impression of tactical advantage as of that moment. This is not strategy. Its an out of control person. But there are now large numbers of people and institutions implicated in Trumps actions. They are on the line and along for the ride with every twist and turn.