By now most people are aware of what Trump reportedly said during a meeting with members of Congress about countries with majority black populations. What is curious about the statements and the reporting about the statements comes from both the White House and immigration hard liners. In the immediate aftermath of the meeting, Lindsey Graham (R) and Dick Durbin (D) both condemned the remarks that were made and indicated that the reporting was accurate. Uproar ensued so Trump did what Trump does--he called his friends to find out how people were reacting to the vulgarity and inherent racism of the statements. When Tom Cotton (R) and David Perdue (R) were initially interviewed, one said he couldn't hear all the remarks and so couldn't comment and one said that he couldn't recall the exact phrasing. Now both of those remarks are pusillanimous to the extreme.
Then after anger and outrage spread around the US and around the world (and after Trump called his friends of course), Trump said he used rough language but not the specific words. As the furor mounted, the White House, Trump, and the two timid Republicans came out and said none of what had been reported was true, not even the initial responses from their own mouths. The press secretary said the words were taken out of context and didn't mean what you think they mean.
This is now the paradigm for any reporting from DC--obfuscate, deny, deny, lie, point fingers at everyone else.
No comments:
Post a Comment