Trump Mocked After Doing a 180 on FISA in Under Two Hours. He’s Now Claiming He ‘Personally Directed the Fix’ to Unmasking.
‘The Single Most Dangerous and Irresponsible Thing the President Has Ever Tweeted’
President Trump’s early Thursday morning tweetstorm included a nonsensical response to a “Fox & Friends” segment about today’s vote on Capitol Hill to reauthorize FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Whatever your view on the decades-old law, it’s clear the president has little understanding of it, proven by the fact he did a complete turnabout in under two hours when he ranted about it on Twitter.
People on the social media platform are rightly mocking him as a result.
At 7:33 AM, after a report about the reauthorization vote this morning, Trump posted this angry tweet:
“House votes on controversial FISA ACT today.†This is the act that may have been used, with the help of the discredited and phony Dossier, to so badly surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign by the previous administration and others?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018
The president is of course referring to the Trump-Russia dossier, which Buzzfeed published one year ago this week. It’s the document drafted by former MI6 British spy Christopher Steele, a Russian expert, for Fusion GPS.
No part of the dossier has been publicly disproven, and much of it reportedly has been corroborated, which is why Trump is so afraid of it.
There is also no evidence Trump or his campaign were illegally surveilled, or “wiretapped,” as he grossly claimed early last year, and was unable to prove.
This is the single most dangerous and irresponsible thing the President has ever tweeted.l, without hyperbole. https://t.co/ezQNvCzjoW
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) January 11, 2018
That said, here’s Trump’s tweet less than two hours later:
With that being said, I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office and today’s vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land. We need it! Get smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018
So, at 7:33 he’s against FISA, at 9:14 he’s for it.
“We need it! Get smart!” he demands. It’s unclear who he thinks he’s talking to.
DEVELOPING: Wednesday night:
Trump admin. urges US House to preserve FISA surveillance authority.
Thursday morning:
In tweet, Pres. Trump questions if the US government used the authority to “surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign.” pic.twitter.com/9Zuw1pD1Gg
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 11, 2018
New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait in response wrote, “Confused Trump Tricked by Fox News Into Opposing His Own Surveillance Bill.”
As far as the unmaking issue, there is not nor has there been an actual problem with unmasking. Unmasking is a highly-regulated act. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, in an attempt to protect Trump and his team, and falsely attack the Obama administration, alleged had been taking place for political purposes. It had not.
Here’s how some responded via Twitter:
So Fox News gets Trump to reverse an official WH position on pending critical national security legislation then the WH scrambles to get Trump to reverse the reversal an hour later. Stable genius indeed
— Adam Blickstein (@AdamBlickstein) January 11, 2018
Someone gave him a quick phone call. Apparently. https://t.co/kFFQb74UoW
— Pat120 (@Pat120) January 11, 2018
“foreign bad guys.”
We still in executive time? https://t.co/Unu6XbzKTh
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) January 11, 2018
*with that being said* https://t.co/7OpprB0sB8
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) January 11, 2018
Trump sent this tweet because someone in the White House finally told him that his previous tweet attacked a bill that he officially supports. Nothing says ‘Very Stable Genius’ like attacking your favored legislation and then…praising it an hour later. https://t.co/iZKgHS5wZw
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) January 11, 2018
This tweet seems to be an attempt to clean up one from an hour ago https://t.co/FrHDI8oNS1 https://t.co/fbOYLWIk7P
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 11, 2018
😬😬 pic.twitter.com/ydeCPPeqcD
— Jordan Fabian (@Jordanfabian) January 11, 2018
Oh, well, in that case… https://t.co/fQRwuagxWd
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) January 11, 2018
Trump’s FISA tweets this morning – contradicting his own White House and then shifting back – should alarm everyone. It’s not about the policy which clearly he has not read or understands, it’s about a man who is not mentally fit or well.
— Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) January 11, 2018
It’s still not clear to me that Trump knows he’s actually President as opposed to a guy that just happens to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue https://t.co/4APYWglYO5
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) January 11, 2018
This isn’t how policy decisions should be made in a small town mayor’s office, much less the White House, especially when it involves the reauthorization of a major piece of legislation. Meanwhile, Gen. Kelly still claims he doesn’t pay attention to Trump’s tweets . . . https://t.co/JHixo1h2xk
— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) January 11, 2018
Â
Â
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.