Sean Spicer goes all CYA after Trump wiretap tweets backfire
For those of you just joining us, semi-popular real estate mogul Donald J. Trump claimed yesterday in a string of unhinged Twitter outbursts that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower.
In the wake of the largely negative reaction – including a scatologically accurate assessment by Rep. Ted Lieu – Trump’s trusty if somewhat irritable press flack Sean Spicer has stepped in to “clarify” (read: “stonewall”) the White House’s position on espionage during a presidential election campaign:
(1/4) Reports concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election are very troubling.
— Sean Spicer (@PressSec) March 5, 2017
(2/4) President Trump is requesting that as part of their investigation into Russian activity, the congressional intelligence committees
— Sean Spicer (@PressSec) March 5, 2017
(3/4) exercise their oversight authority to determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016.
— Sean Spicer (@PressSec) March 5, 2017
(4/4) Neither the White House nor the President will comment further until such oversight is conducted.
— Sean Spicer (@PressSec) March 5, 2017
Someone is having a serious case of the Mondays – on Sunday!
Here, Sean, let me help you: “Help, House GOP! Obfuscate actual investigations of Putin election tampering with my boss’s crazy claims that Obama bugged Trump Tower—HELP!”
That’s 140 characters.
You’re welcome!
UPDATE: Raw Story alerts us to the fact that Spicer is not the only White House talking head playing the CYA game:
“The New York Times, the BBC have also talked about and reported on the potential of this having had happened,” Sanders said. “All we’re saying is let’s take a closer look. Let’s look into this. If this happened, if this is accurate, this is the biggest overreach.”
“If, if, if, if, if!” Raddatz exclaimed. “Why is the president saying it did happen?”
“I think he is going off information he’s seen that has led him to believe that this is a very real potential,” Sanders insisted. “The American people have a right to know if this took place.”
“The president believes it is true?” Raddatz pressed after again explaining that Trump had called the wiretapping claim a “fact.” …
“All we’re asking is we get the same level of look into the Obama administration and the potential that they had for a complete abuse of power that they’ve been claiming that we’ve done over the last six months,” Sanders opined. “And time and time again, there’s no evidence or wrongdoing. The FBI says this is B.S. Yes, you guys continue to hammer and hammer of some false idea and false narrative that there’s something there when, frankly, there just isn’t.”
“I just want to say, Donald Trump started this on Saturday morning,” the ABC host quipped.
