Trump Mocked and Schooled After Tweeting ‘Most Politicians Would Have Gone to a Meeting Like the One Don Jr Attended’
The President Kicks off ‘Made in America Week’ With a Lie Â
President Donald Trump just defended his son’s attending a meeting with several Russian operatives that’s caused headlines now for over a week. And since the President’s defense is indefensible, many on social media were quick to mock – and school – him for it.
“Most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don jr attended in order to get info on an opponent. That’s politics!” President Trump tweeted just after 10 AM Monday morning, which only served to keep the now diminishing story alive, as he starts  what the White House is calling “Made in America Week.”
In reality, of course, Trump Jr. is not a politician, even though the Trump campaign is paying his legal bills, but as many actual politicians and political operatives have said, not only would they not have taken the meeting, they would have called the FBI. That’s what an Al Gore advisor did during the presidential race of 2000, when he received a video and internal documents of the Bush campaign, unsolicited, in the mail.
And as President Trump said himself just a year ago, ignorance of the law is no excuse.
“In politics, and in life, ignorance is not a virtue.” This is a primary reason that President Obama is the worst president in U.S. history!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 17, 2016
Bottom line: as The Atlantic suggested last week, Trump Jr. could be in trouble.
Rick Hasen, a University of California, Irvine, law professor who specializes in election law, wrote that the Goldstone email exchange was “pretty close to the smoking gun people were looking for.†The president’s son “appears to have knowledge of the foreign source and is asking to see it,†he added, noting that “such information can be considered a ‘thing of value’ for purposes of the campaign finance law.â€Â
And that’s what could make it illegal, as Hasen said on his own blog last week: “It is illegal for a person to solicit a contribution to a campaign from a foreign individual or entity.
What kind of a world do we live in when the President of the United States defends at the very least, flouting the law, and at the very worst, breaking it?
Here’s what some on Twitter had to say:
The Atlantic’s Senior Editor, Adam Serwer:
Come a long way from arguing there was no contact at all between the Trump campaign and Russia https://t.co/aPvOJxRf9F
— Mazel Tov Cocktail (@AdamSerwer) July 17, 2017
Yahoo News’ Garance Franke-Ruta:
Confirmation from Trump that goal of meeting was to get oppo on Clinton. Not about adoption, per initial statement. https://t.co/dKm9RjXegd
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) July 17, 2017
Pollster Matt McDermott:
Good start to Made in America Week for Trump, reminding voters his election win wasn’t even made in America. https://t.co/H1V34g4PIu
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) July 17, 2017
CNN’s Jake Tapper:
Trump’s FBI director nominee testified that anyone who receives such a solicitation believed to be from adversarial govt should call FBI https://t.co/wZH9WxgDFE
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 17, 2017
CNN’s Keith Boykinâ€:
Trump last year: “I’m not a politician.”
Trump today: My campaign did the same thing “most politicians” would do. pic.twitter.com/FXRGe0dy58— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 17, 2017
Most politicians would not meet with Russian government-connected operatives who wanted to influence a US election. That’s collusion! https://t.co/PYnVXH7Wbs
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 17, 2017
More:
You’re using a negative stereotype of politicians to justify unethical activities. Great!
— Luke Waltham (@lukewaltham) July 17, 2017
Many people supported you because you weren’t the “stereotypical politician”. And now, look! You’ve become that stereotype
— Luke Waltham (@lukewaltham) July 17, 2017
You’ve lied every step of the way, you used campaign donations 2 weeks before this broke to pay his lawyer, so you knew AT LEAST weeks ago.
— Calvin (@calvinstowell) July 17, 2017
Trump calls Don Jr. a “high-quality person.” Do quality people repeatedly lie? Engage in conspiracy? Go game hunting and kill elephants? pic.twitter.com/OARqzxCUrW
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) July 17, 2017
Meeting with Russian spies is not opposition research.
— Robert Caruso (@robertcaruso) July 17, 2017
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) July 17, 2017
The only reason it’s not treason – because we’re not officially at war with Russia.
Yet still,
it’s VERY shady.#NiceTryTrump— val broeksmit (@BikiniRobotArmy) July 17, 2017
Your administration has repeatedly lied about the contact members of your campaign had with Russians
— Edward Hardy (@EdwardTHardy) July 17, 2017
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Image of Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr by Disney | ABC Television Group via Flickr and a CC licenseÂ
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