"Under unrelenting pressure from congressional Republicans, his own advisers and his allies on Fox News, President Trump abruptly reversed course on Tuesday and claimed he had misspoken during a news conference with President Vladimir V. Putin about whether Russia tried to influence the 2016 presidential election.Mr. Trump, reading from a script, said he believed the assessment of the nation’s intelligence agencies that Russia had interfered in the campaign after having seeming to have accepted Mr. Putin’s assertion the day before that Russia was not involved. The misunderstanding, he said, grew out of an unsuccessful attempt to use a double negative when he answered a question about whether he believed Mr. Putin or his intelligence agencies. 'My people came to me,' he said in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday. 'They said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be.' On Tuesday he said that he had misspoken. 'The sentence should have been, "I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia," sort of a double negative,' the president said. 'So you can put that in and I think that probably clarifies things pretty good.'"
The NYT reports.
July 17, 2018
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61 comments:
The hysteria will probably dissipate in, say, 3 days, and then we can return to Stormy Daniels' interviews on CNN once again.
@Althouse, thanks for giving us the option to say "Hell if I know." And, no, your third option with the triple negative isn't it.
So do we just move on to the next act of treason now?
I liked yesterday's Trump more than today's, but I still like both.
Brennan: “Trump didn’t not commit treason.”
Trump wussed out. Sad.
To quote Orwell (by memory only)"the not unbrown dog chased the not unred fox over the not ungreen fields."
This is “good people on both sides” redux. I’d say plausible deniability. I think Trump doesn’t trust the “intelligence community.” He doesn’t care if he appointed the heads of these agencies and fired guys like Comey. Trump believes douchebags like Strzok populate these agencies.
He'd better not retract and retreat too many times.
Anyway, I think Trump believes that Putin sounded more reasonable than John Brennan and CNN.
By the way, if the Russians wanted Trump to win, why did Russian officials feed Chris Steele their disinformation?
Or -- was their plan from the outset to drive the Dems utterly crazy?
Obama would have punched Putin square in the nose.
In a comic book. In real life he would have presented Putin with a list of Democrats that want a Rolex from a Russian oligarch.
Or -- was their plan from the outset to drive the Dems utterly crazy?
That drive wouldn't take much gas--or any.
So I haven't seen the news but the GOPe and other Trump haters are now apologetic about jumping the gun and going apeshit crazy over a small slipup.
So everyone's good.
Now Putin can complain. You can't trust the guy.
You know who always stumbled over double negatives? Fucking Hitler, that's who.
What a maroon.
30%. Estimated number of true believers that the media meltdown didn't alienate. The the Dems are going to have find a whole lot of "new" voters this time around. Coupled with the hemorrhaging of black votes and even Hispanic votes they are losing to the Trump economy they are going to have to find a way to vote twice. Oh, wait...
He's a liar who committed treason an Walpurgisnacht.
Can I vote “Who cares? The left will never be happy no matter what he says?”
Trump getting tripped up like this reminds me of when a journalist slyly asked Scott Walker, "Are you comfortable with the theory of evolution?" because apparently it is necessary for presidential candidates to articulate an understanding of human origins. Walker wasn't ready for the question, and he stumbled through a non-response. Then journalists mocked him about it, gleeful that they had embarrassed a politician they were eager to discredit. Stories like these are a perfect example of fake news.
Treason!
Bastid!
Moron!
Putin butt buddy!
Kristallnacht!
ChimpyMcBushHitler
The 1980's called!.. President Romney Understood!
FBI warned DNC! who cares!
Seth Rich, DNC staffer, He's dead - murdered - who cares!
Colonoscopy! Stroke!
Hillary Lost Butt Hurt! All of it. Media whines and seethes for her.
Gallup did a poll on the biggest problems in America, and "Situation With Russia" was barely a blip.
In fact, most of the things the "news" organizations and Twitter reporters focus on were no named as important by the American people.
A bit of honey for the bird.
It is of no significance.
The leftwing nexus of Colbert and Brennan do not understand what the word Treason means. Who cares? Pimp that narrative.
Stop Saying Trump Committed ‘Treason.’ You’re Playing Into His Hands.
I agree with the original version. Why would it be Russia? Maybe 40 years ago, but remember Hillary pressed the "Reset" button so they're friends now.
The poll needs an "I don't care" option.
How “Uncle Joe” Bugged FDR — Central Intelligence Agency
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol47no1/article02.html
what if I dont like my doctor?
cant I not keep him?
Now Bullitt was the fellow who Wilson sent to negotiate with the Bolsheviks and subsequently was trusted to open the embassy but he got religion, in those four years
Trump says stupid shit and has had a disreputable domestic life. I voted for him and will do so again. There are worse people in the world including some of the people who don't cheat on their spouses and say elevated shit endlessly.
Yep. Brennan Clinton Stroke = worse people in the world.
Hah..after multiple common-taters ask for her to weigh in, a poll ;)
narciso said...
How “Uncle Joe” Bugged FDR — Central Intelligence Agency
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol47no1/article02.html
7/17/18, 10:12 PM
PDT better have that soccerball examined good.
You missed a choice “I Don’t Care”
I don’t give no shits.
Don't care.
Instapundit just had this story about a big fat woman who displayed herself in a pink bikini in Time Square.
She expected fat shaming...so she could write this long article about how horrible men were.
Instead she got the men (some of the men) fetishizing her...and she once again thought about how horrible men were...because they LIKED her in her bikini (some of them at least)
This is the Media and Trump. If Trump had been swinging for the fences and balls out hostile to Putin, the press would have excoriated him.
If he made nice, the press would have mentioned how Trump was Putins cock holster like those classy people on television say.
And if he had a neutral press conference, once again, they attack him.
So yeah, no fucks to give. There is nothing Trump can do correctly for them except drive him, Pence, and Paul Ryan on a bridge in Chappaquiddick and drown all three of them.
And even then, they will bitch about his driving.
So with that kind of 'objective' news, why bother caring about a double negative?
It is a sad day where Americans now need to gain Russian skills at reading AROUND the news to try to find grains of truth.
Trump was correct the first time- the intelligence agencies working for him aren't trustworthy as a rule, and certainly can't be trusted in this particular instance. However, I understand his willingness to lie about believing them under this much pressure from even Republicans. I hope he is incentivized, now, to start declassifying the underlying evidence- it is the only solution to the crisis of credibility these agencies have caused.
If Trump is really a Russian agent, can we please have Rachel Maddow arrested? I am tired of seeing her worried face appear on the Drudge Report.
Trump did not misspeak. He deliberately accused Comey and Brennan (the intelligence agencies) of lying - treason. This was the opening salvo of campaign 2018.
He had to say something, he had to throw a bone to the braying mob.
He doesn't think either one. It's a part of a negotiation. He doesn't care whether Russia hacked the dems or not. Most people don't care. Everybody does it.
He shouldn't have apologized. It's PC. He should have said nobody cares and it's all recreational outrage to you people.
I thought the president had the best words.
Anyway, the I "can't" believe it, instead of an option for I don't believe it, pretty much says everything. Very Trumpian.
They're still taking him literally?
The elites are people who care very much about words. Spelling, grammar, word choice, turn of phrase, puns, literature, the ability to quote others, any cleverness with language is their high art.
They believe what truly separates man from ape is facility with language, thus they are the highest form of humanity.
Trump is working to destroy them in every way possible. To do so, he must destroy the idea that facility with words gives any more advantage than facility in gardening or electrical work. He's bringing peace and ridding the world of nuclear weapons while they search the transcripts of his speeches for incorrect syntax.
Here's the truth: it doesn't matter what Trump believes happened before he was President.
It matters no more than whether JFK was an inside job, or FDR knew about Pearl Harbor before the attack. Reasonable people wouldn't stand for "gotcha" on those topics, and they're not interested in "gotcha" for something that happened under Obama's watch.
Trump's job is to make sure no country gets involved in the elections for which he is responsible.
And perhaps the best way to do that is to create a working relationship with Putin such that no one in Russia finds the idea of interfering in our elections worth the risk.
After 8 years of complaining about Obama's apology tour, I can't get on board with excusing Trump's apology tour. That said, I'm surprised and disappointed that he walked it back. Trump of all people seemed to know that "clarifying" never helps. It shows weakness that the press and social media takes as blood in the water.
General Michael Hayden's tweet on this subject:
"I am not laughing." [emojis] OH HELL YES I AM! [many more emojis]
Your survey does not have "Who cares?" as a response, which would likely account for 75% of the responses were it available.
Chuck said...
General Michael Hayden's tweet on this subject:
Shows that like you, he is not a serious person.
May I see a show of hands of people who expect/expected Trump to be perfect in every way?
He didn’t not say it. I don’t really care. Do you?
I'm not buying the double negative story, not because I believe or disbelieve; but because I wasn't the one being sold the story.
Shorter Chuck: [emojis]
May I suggest tuning in to CNN once in a while? This morning they had on Senator Kennedy (GOP) and then the Mooch. The Senator, a Southerner, politely explained to the rude CNN host, who interrupted him often: judge a world leader by his actions, not his words. At the same time the Senator pointed out hypocrisy of our allies and steadfastness of US action on Russia. Even instapundit seemed shaken yesterday by Trump’s behavior. Whether he’s doing it on purpose or he’s just a natural, Trump is pushing our allies where they need to go, getting “the resistance” to message for him and glad handing Putin while we slaughter his mercenaries in Syria and put the economic squeeze on him wth domestic carbon fuel production and pressure on ninnies like Merkel. This is a lot of fun to watch. I don’t not disbelieve him or something, but I do observe he seems to be having a lot of fun. Fun as signifier of success in a world leader: I say Putin was faking it, while Trump is actually having a ball.
And that Senator Kennedy: never heard of him before, but he makes an excellent talking head.
I do not know why Trump "wuzzed out," but I wish he had not. This was not helpful.
"Accepted" is lawyer talk, and in this context pretty much means just "I received it and filed it" since his words immediately following indicates he still does not believe "the US intelligence community's unanimous conclusion" - especially since Mike Morel and General Hayden have both been on national TV before and stated their opinion to the contrary before this became the party line.
I think the general opinion is that "the Russians" no doubt "hacked" Hillary! and the DNC along with everyone else, but there is still no evidence that they were the ones to give the files to Wikileaks.
And, of course, whoever did, we owe them a vote of thanks.
I would be curious to see whether Trump commonly uses Double Negatives. Imthought Althouse would have uncovered some cool results. I believe.that what he initially said is what he believes.
I don’t agree with him, but I think everyone that posts here would have preferred him to own his remarks
Trump's confusion is no worse than that of most Amerikans, who regularly say "I could care less" or use "peruse" for "skim" or "nonplussed" for "unfazed" or the Bushism "misunderestimate."
He's a very stable genius.
All Trump needed to do was call Putin a liar - to his face - in front of the entire world, and the left would be ready to vote for him in 2020.
It's not that I couldn't. It's just that I don't.
If there was a single piece of factual evidence underlying this hysteria that pointed at wrongdoing by Trump, maybe then it would ve interesting and relevant. Instead America is choosing a mass delusion. Whatevs.
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