May 4, 2018

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani further muddied the waters with a statement clarifying his earlier statements about Stormy Daniels and James Comey on Fox News this week.

His statement reads:

This is intended to clarify the views I expressed over the past few days. These are my views:

First:
There is no campaign violation. The payment was made to resolve a personal and false allegation in order to protect the President's family. It would have been done in any event, whether he was a candidate or not.

Second:
My references to timing were not describing my understanding of the President's knowledge, but instead, my understanding of these matters.

Third:
It is undisputed that the President's dismissal of former Director Comey -- an inferior executive officer -- was clearly within his Article II power. Recent revelations about former Director Comey further confirm the wisdom of the President's decision, which was plainly in the best interests of our nation.

Let's start with the first point, where Giuliani says it was to protect the President's family. Turn the clock back to 2011, when she gave an interview to InTouch Magazine which was then withdrawn before publication after a thug threatened her and her child. Were they at all concerned about protecting Trump's family, the payment would have been made then. No, it was only when there was the possibility of the story coming out just before the election that it became a matter of buying her silence. Sorry, Rudy, no dice on that one.

Point two is simply a way to satisfy Fuhrer SmallHands so he doesn't get fired.

Point three is a point no one argues with. It is the motive which matters, not the authority under which he did it. And we're clear about the motive: Trump felt threatened, so he fired the source of the threat.

That point also sounds like Trump wrote it. The reference to "inferior executive officer" is right out of Trump's mouth.

This statement clarifies nothing other than the knowledge that former New York Mayor Rudy "911" Giuliani is nothing more than a shell toady of Donald Trump. Good job, Rudy.

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