Patterico's Pontifications

3/18/2018

Trump Twitter Accusation Against Comey Creates Non-Existent Quote Out of Thin Air

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 4:00 pm



Earlier today, Carl Arbogast noted President Trump’s frenetic morning Twitter tirade, including this accusation that James Comey lied under oath:

Note that Trump puts this inside quotes, thus claiming that Grassley asked precisely this question in these words: “have you ever been an anonymous source…or known someone else to be an anonymous source…?” The money quote is the second phrase, because Andy McCabe testified, as Jerry Dunleavy noted yesterday, that Comey was aware that McCabe had authorized leaks:

The problem is that when you examine the actual testimony, it does not match up to what Trump put inside quotation marks:

GRASSLEY: Director Comey, have you ever been an anonymous source in news reports about matters relating to the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation?

COMEY: Never.

GRASSLEY: Question two, relatively related, have you ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation?

COMEY: No.

The question was not “have you … known someone else to be an anonymous source” but rather “have you ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source” about those matters.

In other words, Trump made up the money quote. “Authorized” is not the same as “known” — as I noted yesterday, and even Jerry Dunleavy conceded:

Indeed, McCabe’s position is that he had authority to authorize these leaks on his own.

This is not a total defense of Comey, of course. I agree with Dunleavy that there is an arguable contradiction there — indicating, if not an outright lie, then perhaps an, um, “lack of candor” on Comey’s part. It’s troubling and should be investigated further. You could argue that Comey’s knowledge constituted a sort of authorization (just as you could argue that it didn’t).

But that doesn’t give President Trump the right to make up quotes. Things inside quotation marks should be actual quotes. No matter how you feel about whether Comey lied, or whether his knowledge amounted to authorization — none of that changes the fact that Trump made up a quote that was not actually said in Comey’s testimony.

Neither President Trump nor anyone else should make up quotes. Period.

If he does so — and he unquestionably did here — he should be called out, just like we would call out someone on the left who did the same.

[Cross-posted at RedState and The Jury Talks Back.]

The Exit Polls Are in From the Russian Election, and You’ll Never Guess Who Won

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 2:08 pm



I’m not a big fan of the clickbait headline, but it’s a good gag in this case because the results were never in doubt.

Vladimir Putin will lead Russia for another six years, after securing an expected victory in the presidential election.

A Russian state exit poll gave him 73.9% of the vote, easily defeating his closest competitor.

The main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was barred from the race.

The scale of victory – which had been widely predicted – was a marked increase in his share of the vote from 2012, when he won 64%.

In all seriousness, let’s not call this an election. It’s a charade. The only meaning o the 74% number is how blatant Putin wants to make it.

I’m looking forward to Trump issuing his congratulations. My guess is that he’ll use the chance to call the “election” a sham and issue his harshest condemnation yet of the recent assassination attempt on British soil. LOL. Make sure to tip your waitresses, try the veal, I’m here all week.

[Cross-posted at RedState.]

Sunday Music: Stabat Mater, BWV 1083

Filed under: Bach Cantatas,General,Music — Patterico @ 12:01 am



It is the fifth Sunday in Lent. The title of today’s piece is “Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden” (Cancel, Highest, my sins). It’s an adaptation of a Stabat Mater by Pergolesi. This is a longer one, and you will be forgiven if you can’t make it through the whole thing. That said, if you listen to the beginning, you may be captivated enough to stick it out.

Today’s Gospel reading is John 12:20-33:

Jesus Predicts His Death

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

The text is available here. Verse 10 is translated as follows:

Let me feel the joy and pleasure,
let me gladly sound the triumph,
when the cross me hard doth press.

The words that match triumph, joy, and pleasure with bearing the cross echo the Gospel reading, which speaks of the coming glorification of the Son of Man when he loses his life.

Happy listening!

[Cross-posted at RedState and The Jury Talks Back.]


Powered by WordPress.

Page loaded in: 0.0701 secs.