*Tweetizen Trump – 2017-06-09 "Nuh-uh! HE's a liar!"

Well, I have to give you credit, Donald — you restrained yourself from live-tweeting Director Comey's testimony yesterday. In fact, you were so silent about it all during the day, I was beginning to wonder if Reince had hidden your cell phone again. Not even any promotional videos about that trip to Ohio you were so proud to be taking.

Anyway, not a lot here, but worth staying caught up:

► Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication…and WOW, Comey is a leaker! [1]

It's hard to have it both ways, Donald. Is Comey a lying liar, a leaker, a purveyor of "so many false statements"? If so, how could he possible vindicate you? If we don't believe him in his talking about your needing and expecting "loyalty," or about your pressuring him to drop the Flynn investigation why should we believe him that he told you that you, personally, were not yet under investigation?

It doesn't wash, Donald.

Even leaning on his reassurance that you, yourself, were not the target of an FBI investigation isn't all that meaningful. Do you understand the reason he was telling you that, but not making it a public statement? It seems not, since you apparently kept pressuring him to do so.

See, there's this whole Russian interference with the 2016 Election thing, the one that everyone, especially the Intelligence Community (and the congressional Intelligence Committees) believe in, but you keep pooh-poohing because you think it tarnishes your Bigly Victory.

So that interference is being looked at, and the FBI is specifically targeting certain members of your campaign team (and others) because they have seen evidence that indicates those individuals might be involved (we don't know any specifics because, sshhh, classified ongoing investigation). That you are (or were) not specifically a target of investigation doesn't mean you're off the hook, Donald — it just means that you're not, currently (as of a month ago, according to Comey) a named subject of investigation. You could be tomorrow. Or you might have been as of last week. Or you may never be, depending on where the evidence trail runs.

It's really frustrating, I'm sure. If you feel you're innocent, then twidding your thumbs while these investigations run their course has to be maddening. But it's how intelligence and criminal investigations go, Donald. If you were wise (and innocent), you'd throw open the books, then step back and go about your business, rather than continuing to draw attention to yourself.

Just saying.

The problem (for you, Donald), is that much of this comes down to "he said / he said," and rests on who has more credibility: a former Director of the FBI, praised by his past superiors (including you), publicly admired even by the Senators grilling him yesterday — or you, a guy who is on record repeatedly lying, exaggerating, spinning, and tearing down and attacking anyone who accuses you of it.

That's a credibility battle you're going to have a hard time winning, Donald.

As to Comey "leaking," watch your terminology here, Donald. You don't want to imply that personal notes taken of non-classified material are the same as, say, actual classified material. Yes, Comey passed the former through a friend to the press. I'm not saying it was the best tactic, but it's not clear that it's legally or even ethically problematic.

But, hey, I'm sure it will give you a great epithet to continue to use against him in the future, as the explanation to defuse it takes longer to explain than you using it. More name-calling, Donald! It's presidentialicious!

► Great reporting by @foxandfriends and so many others. Thank you! [2]

Where "great reporting" equals, I assume, "criticizing your enemies, praising you." Got it.

I'm curious, Donald — since you've learned that you can't actually drive the ratings/circulation of media outlets you dislike down by criticizing them, are you assuming you can drive them up by your constant invocations of Fox & Friends, the Washington Examiner, Drudge, etc.? Let us know how that works for you.

Anyway, Donald — keep at it. I'm sure this will all eventually blow over and you'll have plenty of opportunity to kick people off their health insurance, build new coal plants, dump PCBs into rivers, strip mine national monuments, and fiddle while the planet burns. This, too, shall pass.

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[1] https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/873120139222306817
[2] https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/873131235614347264

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