The president’s ignorance was put on stark display this morning when he tweeted out an attack on Congressional Republican efforts to renew the Foreign Intelligence Security Act. A few hours after (presumably once he’d been informed that his White House was in fact in support of the renewal) he sent out another tweet contradicting himself and throwing his support behind FISA.
“House votes on controversial FISA ACT today.” This is the act that may have been used, with the help of the discredited and phony Dossier, to so badly surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign by the previous administration and others?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018
With that being said, I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office and today’s vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land. We need it! Get smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018
The tweets sowed confusion on Capitol Hill, and at today’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to answer for them. MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson pointed out that the tweets were “contradictory” and asked how people are supposed to trust that the people purporting to represent the president actually speak for him.
“I think that the premise of your question is completely ridiculous and shows the lack of knowledge that you have on this process,” Huckabee Sanders said, choosing to personally attack Jackson instead of engaging with her perfectly reasonable question in good faith.
It was a supremely petty, disingenuous move from Huckabee Sander and once again demonstrated that she has no respect for the history and reputation of the podium she stands behind. She has turned the White House press briefings into lowbrow, mendacious sideshows.
Sarah Sanders rejects claims that Trump's FISA tweets confused lawmakers ahead of vote: "It wasn't confusing to me, sorry if it was for you." https://t.co/rOxQwCw92M pic.twitter.com/NtZZTDWuNg
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 11, 2018
CNN’s Jim Acosta — who hasn’t shied away from confronting the administration in the past — addressed the disturbing interaction shortly after it occurred.
“They’re telling us that two plus two does not equal four. They’re telling us that the sky is not blue. That is what happens here at the White House under this administration,” Acosta said, giving a perfect articulation of Trump and his lackeys’ blatant disregard for the truth.
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