Yesterday, James Comey called President Donald Trump a liar. He did this in sharp,, specific detail. He cited his contemporaneous documentation and the people he spoke to at the time. Comey was specific, detailed, and damning.
Today, Trump responded to Comey’s accusations, saying everything Comey had said was a lie. Trump wasn’t especially specific about his counter-charges. And yet Trump (and his sleazy lawyer) were completely happy when they felt Comey said things that Trump liked. When he said that stuff, then Comey was a reliable witness. Completely. but all that other stuff? Lies.
Trump is a fabulist. It’s a wonderful word that I haven’t needed before this administration. And Trump is calling Comey a liar. Trump can’t go three paragraphs without claiming an impossible superlative of some kind. He lies every day, in every conversation. He is a known, open liar. He lies coming into the room, and he lies on his way out. He has no honor, and he isn’t (in my peculiar, southern sense) a gentleman. And to boot, he’s really bad at lying.
I haven’t a clue why Trump lies so often. He really sucks at it. And yet he does it anyway. I think of it as an odd version of lagniappe.
So… Comey. I’ve disagreed with Comey’s decisions, left and right. I don’t pretend I like what he’s done. Comey’s decisions to talk endlessly about Hillary Clinton and her email server stand near the top of my “really horrible choices” list.
But…. Comey isn’t a liar. He’s an ethical guy. I disagree with his choices, but I don’t think he’s either unethical or a liar. He isn’t like Trump in any way.
Not a tough choice so far.
