"Trump told one ally this week that he wanted 'to brand' the informant a 'spy,' believing the more nefarious term would resonate more in the media and with the public...Trump escalated his efforts to discredit that investigation Wednesday," calling it “MAJOR spy scandal.”
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"He tweeted: 'Look how things have turned around on the Criminal Deep State. They go after Phony Collusion with Russia, a made up Scam, and end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before! What goes around, comes around!'”
This is not bumbling around, or blurting out tweets. It's a deliberate strategy based on what Trump believes he can get to resonate with state-run news and then the public.
Trump is counting on his framing ("spying scandal!") being more of a, er, for lack of a better term, ratings draw than "FBI, in pursuing a counterintelligence investigation, relied on an informant..."
See how that's a much better plot line either for a scripted television show or a reality television show. Juicy. Dramatic. Not the protracted boresville of an investigation.
So he's counting on state-run TV, + that human reaction, to provoke a reaction among the public. So they forget about the *real* espionage story.
This is his *thought-out* strategy, not just impulsive striking out.
Just like sending Rudy out to give "scoops" to reporters that are nothing but bullshit and misdirection.
Method to madness.
Pay attention.
But don't give too much attention.
Just like sending Rudy out to give "scoops" to reporters that are nothing but bullshit and misdirection.
Method to madness.
Pay attention.
But don't give too much attention.
Does everyone need to get/run interviews with Giuliani, to give him every opportunity to misdirect, float trial balloons, essentially give Trump daily focus groups for his latest scheme to undermine Mueller?
He's *winning* with the media (and not just state-run media). His team dangles interviews, scoops, gossip, trial balloons, etc. and they know reporters will chase.
Meanwhile the story becomes what *he* wants it to be, e.g. "SPYGATE!" (breathless)
Meanwhile the story becomes what *he* wants it to be, e.g. "SPYGATE!" (breathless)
The people around Trump apparently actually believe there was a criminal conspiracy by a supposed deep state to bring him down. ()
He figures: I convinced these guys, now I'll just work on convincing everyone else in America.
He figures: I convinced these guys, now I'll just work on convincing everyone else in America.
"Truth is relative," says Rudy. (washingtonpost.com/politics/in-re…)
You think he was spitballing again? No way. That's another piece of the persuasion puzzle. Truth is relative, so how is Mueller or anyone else supposed to discover the truth?
You think he was spitballing again? No way. That's another piece of the persuasion puzzle. Truth is relative, so how is Mueller or anyone else supposed to discover the truth?
And here's more proof that in this administration truth (and truthfulness) doesn't matter: Kushner's had his security clearance restored.
washingtonpost.com/politics/jared…
washingtonpost.com/politics/jared…
How many times did he have to amend his disclosure forms?
Ah, but "truth is relative."
Ah, but "truth is relative."
For more on the security clearance issue, see this thread:
