TRUMP SENDS OUT HIS LESS-THAN-HONEST WHITE HOUSE “SPIN-ARTISTS”

…Andrea Mitchell skewered Mick Mulvaney on Meet the Press
 
Trump’s “Spinners” looked ignorant and foolish on Sunday’s political TV shows.
 
OK, I am going to put this explanation in a very clear statement, that being that the following is the current state of the GOP today.  It shows that the White House obviously felt that regarding the special election for Senator in Alabama, it must send out a team of spinners and rationalizers for President Trump’s position.  But what they showed was that they were disingenuous, totally dishonest (just like their boss) and they were dis-inclined to even stand up to Stephen K. Bannon and his collection of Alt-Right candidates.  They seemed to be in support of all, right-wing media trolls and pastors, who say good Christians should be voting for an alleged sexual abuser and pedophile.
Marc Short, a senior adviser to Trump for legislative affairs, and Mick Mulvaney, the Budget Director made the rounds of the Sunday interview shows and they were sliced, diced and both looked seriously foolish in their lame attempts to explain what the feeling is about Roy Moore at the White House.
 
Just follow these two interviews, one between ABC’s anchor, George Stephanopoulos and Marc Short, and one with Mulvaney and Andrea Mitchell, who was substituting for Chuck Todd on Meet the Press:
 
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: “Does the president have any reason to doubt these young women who are making the allegations [against Roy Moore]?”
 
SHORT: “George, I think that the vice president as well spoke out against this when the allegations came forward, the president has expressed his concern about this. As you noted the president has not gone down to Alabama to campaign for Roy Moore since the primary concluded.  We have serious concerns about the allegations that have been made. But we also believe that all of this information is out there for the people of Alabama. Roy Moore has been a public servant for decades in Alabama. He has run multiple times. The people of Alabama know best what to do and the right decision to make here.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “But they may, but I’m asking you a direct question on behalf of the president. You work for the president. Does the president believe the women or not?”
 
SHORT:  “Obviously, George, if he did not believe that the women’s accusations were credible he would be down campaigning for Roy Moore. He has not done that. He has concerns about the accusations, but he is also concerned that these accusations are 38 years old. Roy Moore has been in public service for decades, and the accusations did not arise until a month before election.  So we are concerned about several aspects of the story. We are very concerned about the allegations. But at this point, as I’ve said, we think it’s best for the people of Alabama to make the decision for them.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “So, you’re not willing to make a yes or no judgment on whether the president believes the women?”
 
SHORT: “I think I have answered your question three times now.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “No. I think what you have said is you have questions and concerns about the allegations.”
 
SHORT: “We do. We do have serious questions about the allegations. And the president has raised those and it’s one of the reasons why he has not gone down to campaign for Roy Moore.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “So, he promised after the primary to back Roy Moore. Is he still backing Roy Moore?”
 
SHORT: “I don’t think you have seen him go down there and campaign for him. I don’t think you have seen him issue an endorsement. You have not seen him issue robocalls. I think he thinks at this point it is best for the people of Alabama to make the decision for their state.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “So he no longer backs Roy Moore?”
 
SHORT: “I think he thinks it is best for the people of Alabama to make the decision.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “So does that mean that if Roy Moore wins, he should serve the term, that the Senate should not move to investigate and expel him? He should serve the term?”
 
SHORT: “I think that that’s a decision for the United States Senate to make. … Having said that, we think that the people of Alabama will have a lot of wisdom in making the right decision come December 12.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “That, again, and the right decision is?”
 
SHORT: “I think that — the right decision will be what the people of Alabama decide.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “That’s now — I know you think you have answered the question. And I understand that you’re in a difficult position right here, but it’s just — it’s a very simple yes or no. Does the president believe that Roy Moore should be the next senator from the state of Alabama?”
 
SHORT: “The president, I think, George, has made his perspective very clear on multiple occasions here. He has expressed concern about the allegations, but at this point, he is going to let the people of Alabama decide.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “But he’s willing to speak out on races all across the country. He’s willing to endorse members of congress. He’s willing to endorse Senate candidates. Is he doing that here or not?”
 
SHORT: “I think you can take — you should certainly be able to infer by the fact that he has not gone down to support Roy Moore his discomfort in doing so.”
STEPHANOPOULOS: “So he doesn’t support Roy Moore?”
 
SHORT: “The president works with all members of the Congress, that is his role.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “And he’s comfortable with Roy Moore being in the United States Senate?”
 
SHORT: “George, the president has concerns if these allegations prove true about anybody of that nature serving in the United States Senate. You have heard us make concerns in particular about allegations that come from teenage girls. And we have said on other networks, and other stations, the reality that we think that those are the most offensive and that there is a special place in hell for people who are child molesters.  Having said that, we also believe that these allegations are arising 38 years after the date, and Roy Moore has an opportunity to tell the people of Alabama his innocence. To date, we’re uncomfortable that he has done that.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “Well, right, you’re uncomfortable. But again, if dating a 14-year-old, and you have used the word “pedophilia” in the past, is disqualifying, it comes down to a simple matter of whether or not you believe the women who made that allegation or not.”
 
SHORT: “And right here, sitting here 40 years after the fact, I cannot have any more information to tell you one way or the other. There are two people who know that, Roy Moore and the accuser.”
 
STEPHANOPOULOS: “OK. We’re going to have to move on. I think that’s the answer we’re going to get to.”
 
That was as embarrassing and shabby a performance as I’ve ever heard or seen from a senior White House adviser, but Short long ago decided to disbelieve or, worse, believe and consider unimportant, the evidence and witness statements against Trump regarding his own sexual assaults. Once you’ve done that, defending or ducking the question of the fitness of an alleged pedophile to serve in office is apparently no big deal.
 
The next interview was nearly as awful by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, who appeared on “Meet the Press“:
 
ANDREA MITCHELL: “Do you believe that the women who’ve come out against Roy Moore are credible?”
 
MULVANEY: “I believe they’re credible. I don’t know who to believe. Again, I’m at the Office of Management and Budget…”
 
MITCHELL: “You don’t believe them?”
 
MULVANEY: “No, I said they’re credible. I don’t know who to believe. And I do think, as the president said, that…”
 
MITCHELL: “Well, if they’re credible…”
 
MULVANEY: “The voters should decide.”
 
MITCHELL: “Why wouldn’t you believe them?”
 
MULVANEY: “Andrea, I run the Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C. You work for NBC News in Washington, D.C. My guess is we’ve not spent that much time looking at the specifics of these allegations. You’ve arrived at a certain conclusion because of a certain political persuasion. …”
 
MITCHELL: “And I have no political axe to grind here other than to ask you whether you believe they are credible.”
 
MULVANEY: “I believe that the folks who vote in the Alabama election are gonna ultimately decide that. And that’s the right folks to make those decisions.”
 
This is all a perfect example of non-answer – answers, from the president’s spinners that know that if Trump says he supports Roy Moore, then he’s saying that his and Moore’s sexual escapades were just fine and he’s OK with a former pedophile as the Senator of Alabama.  Also, that he supports someone that has gone against federal court orders and that today is against gays, Muslims and transgender Americans.
 And two days after these two made fools out of themselves on national TV, President Trump virtually endorsed Roy Moore by telling Alabamans to not vote for the Democratic candidate.  He also used the same language that he had used for his own sexual accusers about Roy Moore denying that the sexual attacks never happened.  (One TV network played Roy Moore's denials, and then the president's denials, it was eerily weird to hear them both using the same denial words.)
 
 
This Trump administration just keeps digging their holes deeper and deeper.  So, let's hope they keep it up!
 
Copyright G.Ater  2017

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