As we discussed yesterday, both Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have said that President Donald Trump did indeed refer to Haiti and Africa as “shithole” countries. However, Sen. David Perdue (R., Ga.) on ABC This Week says that the word was never used. Period. He also said that the meeting was “productive” and suggested that Durbin is lying (and has lied previously) about such meetings. PreviouslyTom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Sen. Perdue have said that they simply do not recall. Now Purdue says that he has a clear recollection and the words were never used. Sen. Jeff Flake has said that he met with members in the meeting before the words were made public and that members openly discussed Trump’s use of these words. Finally, a conservative columnist has gone public with the allegation that he spoke to friends of the President who said that he called to boast about using the term to energize his base.
President Donald Trump is denying that he referred to Haiti and African countries as “shithole countries” in a meeting with members of Congress. Perdue said on Sunday: “I’m telling you he did not use that word, George. And I’m telling you it’s a gross misrepresentation. How many times do you want me to say that?”
In the meantime, Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen appeared on Fox Sunday with Chris Wallace (who in my opinion is consistently one of the best interviewers in the media). She said that she did not recall if the words were used. Wallace was clearly skeptical and pressed her on the how dubious such a statement sounds. He noted that he could understand if she said that Trump never said it or did say it. However he noted that few people believe that such a statement by the President would not be recalled. Nielsen looked distinctly uncomfortable but maintained that position even as Wallace noted that Graham reportedly confronted the President on the use of the words. Moreover, Perdue, Graham, Durbin has clear (if conflicting memories) while Nielsen just does not remember if the President made such a highly inflammatory remark.
Flake said on ABC This Week that participants in that meeting had no such problem recollecting the words and spoke openly about the controversy before the words became public.
This is why the public has such open contempt for politicians. Either the words were used or not used but, as noted by Wallace, few people believe that these politicians would not remember such a scene and shocking language. In the end, I am more concerned with the fact that someone is obviously lying and I do not accept the moral relativism in Washington that no one expects you to tell the truth when it is beneficial to you or your party.
Do you believe that anyone could be in a meeting with six people in the Oval Office and not recall whether such language (and subsequent objections) were heard?
If not, do you believe Durbin/Graham or Perdue?
Trump’s supposed denial of his “shithole countries” remark was tweeted as follows:
“The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used. What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made — a big setback for DACA!”
When are people going to learn how to read Trump’s tweets?
When Trump tweeted “. . . but this was not the language used,” what Trump meant is that the media are taking Trump’s “tough talk” the wrong way. IOW, when Trump says “shithole countries,” it doesn’t mean what the media say it means. Instead, it means that Trump used “tough language” to get “really tough” on an “outlandish proposal” that was “a big setback for DACA.”
That is not a denial of Trump’s “shithole countries” remark. That is a confirmation of Trump’s “shithole countries” remark. Trump is defiantly bragging about his “shithole countries” remark and double-dawg daring anyone to do anything about it. This should be intuitively obvious even to the most casual of observers by this late stage of the game. Trump is a street punk–as in a juvenile delinquent and a truant–taunting the world with Bronx cheers to beat the band whilst demanding to know, “So what you gonna do about it?”
Four attendees at that meeting have stated emphatically that Trump never said “shithole.” And now Durbin has walked back his initial claim.
No sense in waiting for the MSM to run any segments retracting the Trump bashing they participated in the past few days. It won’t happen.
And as for the posters here: you don’t need a reason to hate Trump, but when you jump on the bandwagon without using your own brains to discern fact from fiction, then you’re just a mindless wanderer in the liberal groupthink that will be passed by as the world carries on.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You’re a broken record, andrewworkshop.
So says the lady that believes ignorance is strength.
In 2013, Sen. Durbin claimed that “a leading House Republican” told President Obama “I can’t even stand to look at you” in a meeting at the White House.
The White House denied that the statement was ever made, as did the others who were present at the meetng.
A generous take on Durbin’s 2013 claim is that he has a hearing problem.
Sen. Graham said “he spoke his piece to the President” in his comment about whether Trump made the “****hole counties” remark.
If Graham subsequently made a more specific comment where he wasn’t hedging his bets, I missed it.
I haven’t read all of the comments in this thread, so “my bad” if I’m repeating things that have been mentioned before.
I am a bit puzzled. Why did Marky not give the money directly to the actress? Well for one thing it would have got taxed twice. Had he refused it it wouldhave got taxed no times but no one had the brains to say cut my pay by 1/3rd and give that one third to Miss Who?