Trump’s relentless lying an impeachable offense
WASHINGTON >> President Trump’s relentless, remorseless lying is central to his presidency, an unprecedented threat to our democracy and — in my view — an impeachable offense.
That Trump lies constantly isn’t news. And it’s sometimes impossible to distinguish between untruths Trump knows are untrue and conspiratorial nonsense he might foolishly believe. But we’ve never before had a leader who so pollutes the national discourse with garbage he should know is false — and the consequences may remain long after Trump is gone.
At his inauguration, Trump swore to “faithfully execute the Office of President.” He violates that oath when he speaks publicly in bad faith. Other presidents have lied — Lyndon Johnson about Vietnam, Richard Nixon about Watergate, Bill Clinton about Monica Lewinsky. But never have we had a president who lies about everything, invents fake facts and trumpets patent falsehoods even when given the actual facts.
And yes, undisputed facts do exist. I’m not talking about subtle matters of interpretation but known falsehoods, commonly called lies.
Speaking to workers in Duluth, Minnesota, in June, Trump said, “The head of U.S. Steel called me the other day, and he said, ‘We’re opening up six major facilities and expanding facilities that have never been expanded.’ ” Later that week, at the White House, Trump said, “U.S. Steel just announced they’re expanding or building six new facilities.”
Reporters called the company and learned U.S. Steel hasn’t announced plans to open any new domestic steel mills. Not six; not even one. The Washington Post’s “Fact Checker” column gave Trump the maximum four Pinocchios for his lie.
Over a month later, at one campaign-style rally, Trump declared “U.S. Steel is opening up seven plants.” At another rally, he said six.
Six new plants or seven, does it matter when neither is true and it is actually zero? In June, Trump’s claim could be called a “misstatement.” After facts were clearly established, it could only be called a lie.
And that’s just one of Trump’s more than 5,000 falsehoods the Post has tallied during his presidency. Trump clearly understands that if he tells one glaring lie, that’s where all attention will be focused. But if he tells a dozen lies or more, it’s nearly impossible to track them. By the time all those lies have been called out, Trump will have spewed many more.
In a “60 Minutes” interview broadcast Sunday, Lesley Stahl pinned Trump down. Trying to leave the false impression that there is serious scientific debate about whether human activity has impacted climate change, Trump said, “They say that we had hurricanes that were far worse than what we just had with Michael.”
“Who says that?” Stahl interjected. “‘They say?’ ”
“People say,” Trump responded. “People say …” Finally he claimed, without offering a shred of evidence, that “scientists … have a very big political agenda” — a dodge revealing Trump had no factual basis for his claims.
When Stahl turned to Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election, and Trump said, “I think China meddled also,” Stahl again called him on it: “You are diverting the whole Russia thing. … You are, you are.”
Trump got so flustered he said, “Lesley, it’s OK. In the meantime, I’m president — and you’re not.”
And that’s the point. When Trump insists on his own invented “facts,” he makes reality-based political dialogue impossible. His utter disregard for truth is a subversion of our democracy and a dereliction of his duty as president. The Founders considered themselves men of honor whose word was their bond. They left us the vague, encompassing phrase “high crimes and misdemeanors” for just such an emergency.