This is the reality that we live in now, and we all just have to sit in it. Our President-elect likes to put on a show and tease the news, so let’s get used to it. According to Donald Trump, on Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday!!! (or Wednesday) we’ll find out some stuff about hacking that we did not know.
Trump celebrated the New Year at his Mar-A-Lago golf resort in Palm Beach, Florida and yesterday evening he briefly spoke with a group of reporters about the whole alleged Russian election hacking that he has repeatedly dismissed as untrue.
When asked about his doubts in regards to American intelligence analyses that claim Russians were involved in hacking the DNC as part of an effort to tilt the election in his favor, Trump had this to say:
Well, I just want them to be sure because it’s a pretty serious charge, and I want them to be sure. And if you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that was a disaster, and they were wrong. And so I want them to be sure. I think it’s unfair if they don’t know. And I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else. And I also know things that other people don’t know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation.
When a reporter asked, “What do you know that other people don’t know?” Trump responded, “You’ll find out on Tuesday or Wednesday.”
His assertion that he knows “things that other people don’t know” is particularly perplexing in light of the fact that Trump appeared to admit he hasn’t even been briefed on the intelligence in question. On Thursday, the transition team released a written statement saying that he would meet with intelligence officials next week to get “the facts.”
Trump’s remarks come on the heels of President Obama announcing new sanctions against Russia as retaliation for the alleged hacking. When Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he would not expel American diplomats in retaliation to the sanctions, Trump called him “very smart.”
So, what are the odds that Trump really does have some information to share that the American public previously did not know? On the one hand, he’s lied about announcing his plans for divesting himself from his business interests, about releasing his taxes and about his support for the Iraq War.
On the other hand, when Trump surrogate Rudy Guiliani said there was a “surprise or two” coming late in the campaign last year, the FBI announced it was looking into more Clinton emails just days later. Also, when Trump said that he’d keep us “in suspense” about whether or not he would accept the results of the election, he certainly pulled out a twist ending.
One thing’s for sure, the Russian hacking story is a big mess that has thus far boiled down to either believing the CIA (which lies) or believing Trump (who lies).
Meanwhile, Donald Trump still hasn’t announced his plan to remove himself from his global business and obvious conflicts of interest.