MSNBC’s Katy Tur showed the method behind Trump’s Spygate madness and showed why the American people must hold on to facts in the face of Trump’s attempts to muddy the waters.
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Tur said:
Take what he allegedly said to long-respected “60 minutes” reporter Leslie Stahl.
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He said you know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so when you write negative stories about me no one will believe you.
That is why he attacks the media, but it is not just the media that can be critical of him. His justice department is posing a pretty big threat right now. Look at how he is talking about his own justice department and ultimately the Mueller probe. Witch hunt. Spygate. Worse than Watergate. He used the same tactic during the campaign by tearing down the credibility of those who questioned him. He inoculates himself from accusations of wrongdoing. It is not about the law, it is about the voters. It is about the court of public opinion. Muddy it all up until you have the benefit of the doubt. That is why it is important to hold on to the facts that we do have. Five people have so far pleaded guilty in the Russia probe. Four of them are cooperating with Mueller. 13 Russians have been indicted. Trump’s former campaign chairman was also indicted. He was back in court today. And Trump’s personal attorney is feeling the heat, as well. Michael Cohen’s business partner has agreed to cooperate with the government, according to a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations. But the president is not talking about that. He is screaming accusations in all caps on Twitter.
Spygate is part of a Trump strategy
It is easy to dismiss Trump as being crazy for claiming that Obama spied on him, but as Tur said, this isn’t just paranoia. Trump is attempting to create doubt. When the Mueller report comes down, Trump wants to be able to discredit it with a conspiracy theory. Trump’s go to tactic during the presidential campaign was to try to discredit his opponents by coming up with a counter-charge against them to negate anything that he was accused of.
The only difference between 2016 and now is that Trump’s opponent is the Department of Justice, not Hillary Clinton.
Stick to the facts, and don’t let the mudslide of conspiratorial filth coming from the White House distract you.
It is all part of Trump’s strategy, and the American people need to make sure that it doesn’t work.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
