Yes, @jasondraut, a Fox-Trump-GOP talking point is that Carter Page FISA warrant used to kick off the Special Counsel investigation was invalid, therefore the Special Counsel investigation was a sham and Trump was a victim.
The first problem with this argument: There is no evidence that the FBI misled the judge about the source of the evidence.
scholar.google.com/scholar_case?c…
Another problem: We don’t know all the evidence shown to the judge because of the redactions.
This is why the most Sen. Graham could say was that a warrant based on Steele’s dossier was “disturbing.” abc3340.com/news/nation-wo…
James Comey points out one absurdity: If the FBI was out to get Trump, why didn’t they use the information to damage the candidate in 2016?
washingtonpost.com/opinions/james…
Remember: Trump's supporters embrace his lies for a reason.
As @ddale8 explains ⤵️ they argue that his lies point out an important truth, and they care about the deeper truth.
To understand the “deeper truth,” remember that MAGA specifically means take America backwards to an era when white men (especially wealthy white men) could do whatever they pleased.
Q: What stops Trump from taking America back to the days of robber barons—when white men were free to grab and cheat?
A: The laws and agencies that stop them from cheating.
That includes the FBI.
The far right wing sees any FBI power as an abuse of power—because they don't think the FBI should exist.
They don’t think the FBI should exist because they think that a central government—and the laws promulgated and enforced by a strong central government—infringes on their "liberty."
Geoff Nunburg on NPR offers this definition: a cabal of leftist officials and bureaucrats lodged deep in the government who are working to thwart people like Trump.
npr.org/2018/08/09/633…
It is that part of government that prevents him from doing whatever he wants; the laws and regulatory agencies that enforce those laws.
The deep state is the part of government the far right wing doesn’t think should exist.
In a recent interview, Trump said, “Nobody has been treated badly like me.”
usatoday.com/story/news/pol…
It’s definitely counterintuitive that members of the Fox-Trump-GOP view themselves as victims—but they do.
Prof. @jasonintrator explains that far right wing movements always cast themselves as victims.
This is why doesn’t matter what facts you show them, or what law you show them . . .
[BTW, People in the comments are doing a good job adding facts I left out, like this one:
]
As I argued in this Slate article ⤵️we know the Fox-Trump-GOP is immune to the truth: slate.com/news-and-polit…
Take a look at this chart:
projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval… …
Perhaps this is why Trump's support remains at about 40%, no matter what he says, or what evidence comes out against him.
Liars can lie faster than we can whack 'em.
Playing whack-a-lie keeps us from planning and moving forward.
It's not an accident.
I sometimes think Trump thinks up the most provocative thing he can say and then laughs while everyone goes into a spin.
terikanefield-blog.com/why-the-trump-…