In Defying the Odds, we discuss Trump's dishonesty and his record of disregarding the rule of law. The update -- recently published --includes a chapter on the 2018 midterms. Impeachment is becoming likely.
The executive branch has a legal obligation to protect the whistleblower's anonymity. The president has a constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.
Q Some Republicans have raised concerns —
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No Republicans have raised concerns.
Q — about the whistleblower, that their name — that the identity of the whistleblower should be protected.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I don’t care. Look, I think a whistleblower should be protected if the whistleblower is legitimate. But when the whistleblower makes a big report on the conversation I had with a President, of Ukraine, and it was a great conversation. It was per- — we talked mostly about “congratulations on your win.” We talked about corruption. And we’re really referring mostly to 2016, because what the Democrats did in 2016 was corrupt.
And let’s see what happens. They’re more concerned with that than they are with me and impeachment. They’re trying to hide what maybe is coming. I let our great — if you look — I’ll let our great law enforcement take care of it. Okay? Attorney General Barr, I guess, is working on it. And I hope he’s working on it. Because what happened in 2016 is a disgrace to this country. And they’re more worried about that because they know they’re guilty as hell. All right? They’re much more worried about that.The "transcript" that the White House release included a disclaimer that it was not a verbatim record. It also contained unexplained ellipses.
When “Liddle'” Adam Schiff saw the text, when he read it, he couldn’t believe it. When Nancy Pelosi, who worked a day early — Nancy Pelosi called for essentially impeachment — “Let’s impeach the President” — before she saw the transcript. And this is an exact word-for-word transcript of the conversation, right? Taken by very talented stenographers.The New York Times -- not the Washington Post -- reported that he wanted a moat at the border.
So two reporters from the Washington — and they said, “President Trump started screaming, ranting, and raving, that on the southern border…” — where we are right now building a tremendous wall; it’s unbelievable what’s going up. Army Corps of Engineers. It’s — we’re doing a lot. We have — we’ll soon have over 100 miles under construction and completed. We’re going to end up with over 400 to 500 miles.When he tells an anecdote with the word "sir," he is usually lying.
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And, “Sir, you never said that.” They came to me — the comms people. They came to me yesterday. And they said, “Did you say this?” I said, “Why are you asking that stupid question?” “Because the fake news media is saying that you said this in a book.” I said, “What book?” And they said, “Washington Post.” I said, “Well, obviously it’s fake because almost everything the Washington Post does is fake.”