 In Bob Woodward's biography of President Donald Trump, "Fear," he recounts a moment when Trump tells a pal who was a sexual predator how to handle any accusations coming his way. "You've got to deny, deny, deny and push back on these women," the book recounts Trump saying. "If you admit to anything and any culpability, then you're dead." This has been part of the Trump playbook for decades. Whether it involved disputing that he and his father had discriminated against prospective renters of color in the 1970s or whether he had knowingly made misleading statements to investors in the early 2000s, the go-to response was always the same: deny, deny, deny. Right on cue on Wednesday, Trump popped out a tweet responding to a clarifying — and damning — little news conference Special Counsel Robert Mueller conducted outlining his key takeaways from his investigation of Team Trump's myriad intersections with Russia and Russians in recent years. Trump's take: "Nothing changes from the Mueller Report. There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent. The case is closed! Thank you." None of this handiwork — surprise, surprise — completely captures what Mueller said at his news conference. It also actively misrepresents what he said. Mueller, despite the president's spin, didn't exonerate Trump. Read the whole thing. Stop Trump on Trade – Michael R. Bloomberg Clarence Thomas Tries and Fails to Start a Climactic Abortion Fight – Noah Feldman Mueller Has a Parting Gift for Trump: No More Surprises – Noah Feldman Where Does Trump Get His Odd Ideas? – Jonathan Bernstein Modi's Win Is a Populist Warning to the World – Mihir Sharma It's Hard to Take Impeachment Seriously Now – Noah Feldman Bing's Not the Laughingstock of Technology Anymore – Shira Ovide The Biggest Threats to Trump's Re-Election – Karl W. Smith Trump's Mexico Tariffs Are Borderline Crazy – David Fickling Saturday New Music Here are six new albums you can stream right now, including a collaboration between Damon Locks and the Black Monument Ensemble. This is the Weekend Edition of Bloomberg Opinion Today, a roundup of the 10 most popular stories Bloomberg Opinion published this week, based on web readership, with some other stuff thrown in. | 
Post a Comment