Trump, Enemies List, Lies and Chutzpah

AROUND THE BLOCK

I learned today…

 I learned today that President Trump said that a Congressman who he claimed lied to the public should be “forced out of office.”

And, in a letter to TV news producers, Tim Murtagh, director of communications for Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., listed several guests “who made outlandish, false claims” in their TV news appearances, “including, but not limited to: 

• Sen. Richard Blumenthal
• Rep. Adam Schiff
• Rep. Jerrold Nadler
• Rep. Eric Swalwell
• DNC Chairman Tom Perez
• Former CIA director John Brennan"

The letter went on to request that TV news shows “employ basic journalistic standards when booking such guests…by asking the basic question, ‘Does this guest warrant further appearances in our programming, given the outrageous and unsupported claims made in the past?’”

I guess the letter wasn't sent to Fox News.

To quote the late, great Jack Paar – “I kid you not.”

Trump, for his part, added fuel to the fire by calling House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff a "bad guy" who has been knowingly lying about him for nearly two years. 

"Schiff is a bad guy. He knew he was lying. He's not a dummy. He knew he was lying," Trump told Sean Hannity on Fox News. 

Going on, Trump told Hannity, “Congressman Adam Schiff, who spent two years knowingly and unlawfully lying and leaking, should be forced to resign from Congress! He should be forced out of office. He is a disgrace to our country. In one way you could say it’s a crime what he did, because … he was making horrible statements that he knew were false.”

By the way, in a continuation of his attack on the people on his enemies list, Trump called former CIA director John Brennan “a sick person. There’s something wrong with him. He lied to Congress.

All this from a man whom the Toronto Star’s fact-checker, Daniel Dale, documents has said 4,682 false things as U.S. president. And whom the Washington Post’s fact checker, Glenn Kessler, reports that President Trump has made 9,014 false or misleading claims over 773 days.

I thought I’d actually never write this phrase, but is this truly a “case of the pot calling the kettle black?”

So, dear readers, what does all this mean? It means it’s time for a survey. 

I’d like to know how you would characterize a man, who by all accounts is a serial liar, saying those who lie are knowingly lying and should resign from their positions or be forced out of office. Or, in the case of Brennan who is already out of office, are sick.

Given this:

1. Is Donald Trump guilty of hubris?
2. Does Donald Trump have astonishing chutzpah?
3. Does Donald Trump have gigantic cojones?
4. All of the above?

(Note: to help you in your decision, remember – Trump, despite the fact that he has many words, would not know the meaning of hubris. And, since cojones is a Spanish word, and we all know what Trump thinks about Latinos, he couldn't have those either. So, the only real choice is chutzpah, which makes sense because we all know how much Trump loves the Jewish people)