Trump’s Stable Genius Legal Team

This just in

President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Sunday claimed “truth isn’t truth” when trying to explain why the president should not testify for special counsel Robert Mueller for fear of being trapped into a lie that could lead to a perjury charge.

“When you tell me that, you know, he should testify because he’s going to tell the truth and he shouldn’t worry, well that’s so silly because it’s somebody’s version of the truth. Not the truth,” Giuliani told Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning.

“Truth is truth,” Todd responded.

“No, no, it isn’t truth,” Giuliani said. “Truth isn’t truth. The President of the United States says, “I didn’t …”

A startled Todd answered: “Truth isn’t truth?”

Giuliani: “No, no, no.”

Todd said: “This is going to become a bad meme.“

Brilliant. See also:

emptywheel, THE NYT’S LATEST MCGAHNOBSTRUCTAPALOOZA: SOMETIMES “COOPERATION” IS JUST COVER YOUR ASS

David Atkins, No Honor Among Thieves in the Trump White House

Isaac Chotiner, What John Dean Has to Say About the NYT’s Blockbuster Don McGahn Story

15 thoughts on “Trump’s Stable Genius Legal Team

  1. I'm wondering whether Giuliani is employing a non verbal tactic of introducing confusion to his listeners by exhibiting confusion. In a previous interview, the one where he talked about the first Trump Tower meeting ( the one that didn't occur) and couldn't remember the names of all the participants. He slapped his forehead in a gesture to jog his memory and in doing so he transmitted an element of confusion to those listening. Sort like Peter Falk doing the Columbo thing.

     In his latest truth isn't truth thing he's doing a similar tactic where the listener's thought are directed to try and understand what he means by that statement rather than focusing on the subject at hand. It's easy to dismiss Rudy as a feeble old man trying to keep up, but there's always a possibility that Rudy has ingrained and perfected the art sowing confusion. He could very well be on top of his game and deceiving us to think he's overwhelmed with the situation he's in. His objective is to sow doubt and confusion. And he seems to be successful in that endeavor.

  2. It seems like just yesterday I was harping about assaults on the truth, probably because it was just yesterday.  Rudy is right. Truth isn't truth.  Truth is identical to truth.  Here we must defer to Bill Clinton, who voiced the famous "depends on what is is."  Still, for all but a rare group of epistemological philosophers, and Rhodes scholars in a bind, Truth is truth.  

    My favorite line from the interview as when Chuck asked Rudy a question involving what I recall was a Comey vs. Trump conflicting statements, and Rudy positing the idea that in this case the truth could not be determined.  Todd interjected that a factor in truth determination might weigh on the individual credibility of the people involved.  I was shocked that Rudy found this notion wanting.  I recall vivid memories of a prosecuting attorney's  objections being overruled because the defense questions were aimed at the veracity of the witness.  It made sense to me that a proven compulsive liar might not have equal weight in a he said he said controversy.  Not that I am suggesting we might have a clear case of an compulsive liar involved here, but such an argument seems warranted.

    Rules of testimony and evidence may have changed in this new era of magical and/or squishy thinking.  Rudy's performance today seemed to lean more to the squishy side, as I did not see anything disappear.  That might take one of those magical presidential tweets, which have powers to alter any uncomfortable reality or change an admired apprentice to canine status.  I am ready for more tapes to emerge.  

  3. For political humor, Rudy's "truth/not-truth…." comment is up there with Clinton's ''depends on what your definition of 'is,' is."

  4. This is, I think, an interesting and original strategy by team Trump to demand that the jury of public opinion come to a verdict in advance of the introduction of evidence.

    Maybe Mueller has nothing, which doesn't explain Mayor Bug Eyes weird gyrations about the elastic nature of "truth". I'm waiting, not too patiently, but I am waiting to see what facts Mueller presents. I despise Trump for what he's done to children at the border, but I will still evaluate the facts re obstruction and conspiracy.

    What's fascinating is that Trump and Rudy are demanding an acquittal by public opinion – before facts are laid out. Fascinating.

  5. “What’s fascinating is that Trump and Rudy are demanding an acquittal by public opinion – before facts are laid out. Fascinating.”

    “And most illogical”, as our dearly departed Spock might say.

    That said, I was nearly ready to convict (of conspiracy) when Il Idioto asked the Russians to hack Clinton aloud, in public during the election. Nothing since has dissuaded me from my initial impression.

    I absolutely would convict and remand the scoundrel to International Court for crimes against humanity and a full 2000 counts of kidnapping and child abuse. How is what he did morally or legally different from a no-name crook nabbing and ransoming a random group of kids? I want the whole clan and it’s enablers removed from our lives, their properties seized (as with the traitorous “General” Lee),
    and their green golf courses salted.

  6. "I want the whole clan and it’s enablers removed from our lives, their properties seized (as with the traitorous “General” Lee),
    and their green golf courses salted."

     Amen, Tom. I feel the same way. My feelings about wanting to see Trump and his criminal cohorts get what's coming to them is so intense that it reminds me of a story I once read. Back in the 1500's or there about, when the church was really into making sure that heretics didn't escape divine justice delivered through mortal hands there was a case where some poor heretic died of natural causes and was buried. The church not being satisfied with a heretic being laid to eternal rest by escaping the proscribed punishment for heretics, dug up his bones years after his death and burned them just to make sure he got what they thought he had coming. 

     It's with the same intensity of wanting to see Trump get his lumps that I feel a sort of kinship with that kind of mindset.

  7. Doug, I was impressed and inspired by "Maybe Muller has nothing, which doesn't explain Mayor Bug Eyes weird gyrations about the elastic nature of "truth"."  I can see it all now.  He'll let Trump testify, but have the swearing in words changed.  I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, the truth that is that truth and the truth that isn't the truth, so help me God. This will avoid all chances of perjury.

    It's a long shot, but these are desperate times.

  8. Clinton's what the meaning of is, is has the same effect on where we are today as dropping a pebble in the ocean and blaming it for a tsunami.  The GOP has been assaulting truth and reality for decades now. They’ve been lying about tax cuts, social security and medicare running out of funds for decades, “voter fraud.” And most recently during the Bush II administration when Rove infamously said "we create our own reality."  That was just another of many precursors to Trump.  Rudy's truth is not truth is just the logical extension of everything they've done so far. 

    And just think: republicans were in loud high-dudgeon when Obama said, "you can keep your doctor," and had no problem dashing any decorum to claim Obama outright lied, some even called for impeachment over it.  (two things today that "we" are told "we" must not do, call Trump a liar and call for impeachment, lest we someone damage our own credibility) Obama didn't say that to deceive anyone; he actually was mistaken; momentarily confused himself by the Rube Goldberg nature of the ACA.  

    Democrats are far from perfect, but compared to the GOP's institutionalization of lying they're not even in the same class.

  9. The thing that amazes me about "the truth is not the truth" is that it took someone in the media so long to ask the question: why can't Trump just tell the truth? OT me still has a bad feeling this Manafort trial is going to end in a mistrial, hung jury!

  10. Addendum to the above:  much of what is taken for "conventional wisdom" has its roots in lies the GOP has pushed.  For example:

    The belief that young people have had for some time that "social security will not be there for me."

    Running government like a business is more efficient.  Also, corporations are more efficient than government.

    Tax cuts grow the economy (I know I said that previously but this one deserves special mention)

    When the rich have more money, it "trickles down" to the rest of us.

    Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility,  democrats "tax and spend."

    Republicans will safeguard the nation from foreign attacks; democrats are "weak."

    These are some examples that speak to the pervasiveness and effectiveness of republican lying over the decades, and the impact its had on people.  

    Clinton's "what the meaning of is, is" and Obama's "you can keep your doctor" has had nowhere near the impact GOP lies have had.  The difference is Republicans lie strategically, tactically and purposefully.

  11. Best clip: rudy: truth isn't truth

    Chuck Todd: head in hands

    It is long past time for media to quit interviewing giuliani and bannon. No more oxygen!

    I wish we had an Elbe to send them all to. 

  12. Trump represents the biggest loss of American prestige in American history. The first proven ignoramus ever elected to the presidency.

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