James Comey Told the Truth, The President Lied
This is a rare occasion. Our headline is our bottom line today. When former Director of the FBI James Comey took the oath to Tell the Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth, from this observer's perspective, that's exactly what he did. Since most we've chatted with accepted Comey's testimony as trustworthy, our conclusion was simple. The President of the United States has to be the liar. Continue on for the analysis.
In this classic case of he said-he said, it was impossible to determine who to believe. After all, we had two men conversing alone in a room and both maintaining two very different accounts of what was said. And the stakes were too high to get this wrong. So, we weighed the characters and credibility of both men. In doing so, James Comey comes across as a man of both unquestionable character and exceptional credibility. No matter who we spoke to, Comey has enjoyed an impeccable reputation, bar none. However, Donald Trump has demonstrated time and again, not only is he a person of questionable character, most would agree, he literally has no credibility.
During the proceedings, James Comey appeared poised, prepared, straightforward, willing to admit mistakes and most of all, believable. In short, James Comey's testimony was so close to unimpeachable, nobody even tried. Save for a few obligatory inquires into why he didn't tell President Trump what he was asking was out of bounds, most of the hearing was remarkably respectful of Comey's willingness to be open and forthright. Let's face it, the man has integrity.
On the other hand, we saw no evidence of Donald Trump's demeaning portrayal of James Comey. We saw no signs of a "Showboating Grandstander". To the contrary. James Comey comported himself with a impressive level of calm and humility. For a man his size, Comey presented a rather gentle image. Neither did we see an incompetent nor someone lacking leadership. We didn't see a man who'd lost the respect of his agents or a former FBI Director who'd left the bureau in shambles. And we didn't see a man who deserved to be ridiculed by the President of the United States as a "Nut Job", while laughing it up with Russian officials in the Oval Office.
After carefully reviewing Donald Trump's past behaviors, we've concluded, if anybody is a grandstanding showboater, it's Donald Trump. If anybody has shown themselves to be incompetent and lacking in leadership, it's Donald Trump. If anybody has lost the respect of those who work for him, it's Donald Trump. If anybody has turned his office into daily a crisis zone, it's Donald Trump. And if anybody can be considered a total "Nut Job", again, most would agree, it's Donald Trump.
In an effort to mitigate James Comey's damning testimony, House Speaker Paul Ryan made an attempt to explain away the President's actions as though they were due to inexperience. “The President is new at this,” Ryan said. “He’s new to government. And so he probably wasn’t steeped into the long-running protocols that establish the relationships between DOJ, FBI and White House. He’s just new to this.” And while all that could be true, Donald Trump should've been told, the United States presidency didn't come with training wheels and ignorance of the law is no excuse.
So yes, in this rare instance, our headline will serve as our bottom line: James Comey told the truth and the President is a liar. Where we go from here remains to be seen, but at least we've established one fact beyond a reasonable doubt. Donald Trump is a man never to be trusted. Podcast below.
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