Compare and Contrast
Just joking edition.
Compare:
When aides have suggested that some orders are illegal or unworkable, Trump has suggested he would pardon the officials if they would just go ahead, aides said. He has waved off worries about contracting procedures and the use of eminent domain, saying “take the land,” according to officials who attended the meetings.
“Don’t worry, I’ll pardon you,” he has told officials in meetings about the wall.
WaPo: ‘Take the land’: President Trump wants a border wall. He wants it black. And he wants it by Election Day.
And contrast:
Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Source: US Constitution, Article II, Section 1. (emphasis mine)
And, excuse:
On Wednesday, a senior administration official insisted that Mr. Trump had never seriously raised pardons or asked anyone to break the law. The president had been joking, the official said — “he winks when he does it.”
Source: NYT, Trump Tells Aides ‘Take the Land’ as Impatience Grows on Border Wall
Just call him Joker as he destroys the Constitution.
The man is an ephebophile, not a pedophile.
Question to ponder: Was he joking about breaking the law or was he joking about giving a pardon to those he encouraged to break the law?
With this president … you never can be sure.
Ah, the old “I’m joking” gambit. Maybe some time this week I’ll walk into a bank and say to the teller saying give me all your money, I have a gun and then just shout “I’m joking” when the police come. And I’ll make sure to wink when I talk to the teller. Because we all know that “I’m joking” makes it all right.
Once again, the issue isn’t Trump. His failings are well-documented.
The problem is the official who forgives his abhorrent behavior with “he winks when he does it.”
“I was only joking” is the oldest excuse made by every gaslighting abuser ever.
This is the ‘Gotti presidency,’ It is a lot like ‘The Godfather’ or ‘Goodfellas’, but without order or compassion.
Honestly, where are those Sagebrush Revolution cowboys, guys like Cliven Bundy, who rail against the federal government overreach?
If Obama had said those words, guys like Bundy would have stormed the BLM offices and FoxNews would have been running side-by-side pictures of Lenin or Stalin next to Obama on every Hannity segment.
After Dean’s testimony to Congress, Nixon should have said, “I was just kidding!”
Then he could have served two more terms.
@al Ameda: Y’all keep forgetting, IOKIYAR. Obama’s different. He’s black. And a Democrat. And a Socialist. And not from the US. And did I mention that he’s black?
If this was a meeting at which the issue was discussed, there would be a non-joking resolution of the question. Let’s ask about that as a follow-up when the “joking” excuse is used.
Administration Weasel: The President was just joking.
Reporter: Ha ha, very funny. Once everybody stopped laughing, what was the serious message that aides took away from the meeting?
AW: Oh the laughter lasted the whole time available for the meeting. The President had to move on, Hannity was about to start.
The idea of asking Trump to take an oath is absurd. There is nothing outside of himself that he believes in enough to make the oath binding. The state of affairs immediately after he has sworn is identical to the state of affairs prior to that.