This is a serious question for the nation: If Donald Trump were replaced on radio appearances by an impersonator parodying Trump’s positions … how would we know?
That question seems especially pertinent on Thursday as Trump bounces between outlets, supposedly defending himself against the Doc-a-Lago scandal, but actually spiraling down a ramp of nonsense that seems as if it should come with cartoons of wise hookah-smoking dogs, trombone-playing alligators, and a chorus line of dancing turtles. Not only did Trump spend much of the evening insisting that the FBI was trying to smear him because he didn’t spread his cache of stolen, classified documents on the office floor, he kept them neatly in his desk—as the day wears on, Trump’s little grey cells (or … cell) appear to be losing contact with this universe.
It’s a good general policy to not directly repeat or link to anything that Trump says. But this not only works as evidence in the case of Trump versus reality, it also illustrates exactly why Trump is highly likely to be indicted. Because in this interview, Trump says he thinks the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, including the desk in his office, “looking for Hillary Clinton emails.”
Why has it been so hard to find missing Hillary Clinton emails? Well, those emails are extremely evasive because they don’t exist. Clinton kept a private server, following the advice and policy of previous Secretary of State Colin Powell, and kept that server secure. Multiple congressional hearings and a full investigation by the FBI and Department of Justice failed to find a crime. Still, Republicans have been making so many allusions to Clinton’s emails in their efforts to defend the hoard of clearly marked, highly classified material Trump had stashed at Mar-a-Lago, that The Washington Post did a recap article this week to point out just how silly this comparison really is.
But Trump has taken this a step further. Rather than simply using “she did it too” as his excuse, he’s spinning off a new conspiracy theory: that the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago not because of the classified documents he was holding, but because they thought he had the goods on Hillary.
Trump: “I think they were looking for Hillary Clinton emails. I really think — I think they thought — and who knows? Boxes full of stuff. I think they thought Hillary Clinton. Something to do with the Russia, Russia, Russia.”
That statement earned Trump a “right on” from the host of the problem, which is apparently not “Body by” some some illegible logo. Which also raises the question of whether Trump, assuming it is Trump, talk to simply anyone who will listen? Apparently he has run out of weddings to interrupt.
In that same interview, Trump also claims that he is “financially supporting” Jan. 6 defendants, that if he is reelected he will give those defendants a blanket pardon, and that he will deliver to them an “apology from the nation.” That apology presumably being on the order of “sorry we got upset because you tried to kill us, please continue.”
Word that Trump is secretly funding legal expenses of Jan. 6 defendants (pro tip: He’s not. He’s just saying that) seems seriously at odds with statements Trump made just two days ago in which he backed the idea that those assaulting the Capitol on Jan. 6 had nothing to do with him.
Maybe at this point it’s worth looking back at the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails and just why James Comey announced that the FBI wasn’t recommending an indictment. There were four things they were looking for as evidence of a crime, none of which matched the situation with Hillary Clinton.
- “Clearly intentional and willful mishandling of classified information.”
- “Vast quantities of materials exposed in such a way as to support an inference of intentional misconduct.”
- “Indications of disloyalty to the United States.”
- “Efforts to obstruct justice.”
What’s the difference between what Clinton did and what Trump did? All of the above.
Which is why, when it comes to the classified document scandal at Mar-a-Lago, there is absolutely no doubt that Trump should be indicted. Because he checked every box. With a big, bold sharpie.
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