Trump Lies

Remember a few months ago when these things were deadly dull? Via CNBC: White House press secretary Sean Spicer holds his daily briefing on Wednesday afternoon. He will likely face more questions about the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and President Donald Trump’s unfounded accusation that his predecessor wiretapped Trump Tower before the 2016 election.

Just in from Quinnipiac Polling: American voters say 52 – 40 percent that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions lied under oath during his confirmation hearings and say 51 – 42 percent that he should resign, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. Voters disapprove 54 – 32 percent of the way President Donald Trump is handling U.S. policy …

The Hill reports: White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Tuesday said that President Trump won’t withdraw his claim that former President Obama wiretapped him during the 2016 election. “Why would he withdraw it until it’s adjudicated?” Spicer asked. Spicer wouldn’t comment further during Tuesday’s briefing about whether there is evidence to support Trump’s accusation and said that the House …

White House press secretary Sean Spicer vanished from public view more than a week ago and has only held off-camera (and combative) briefings with the press. Today he returns to the podium where he will surely face grilling about Trump’s insane wiretapping claims, Trumpcare, and the new Muslim travel ban. Watch below.

The New York Daily News reports: Blaming Obama and tweeting false facts — it’s Tuesday morning on Twitter with President Trump. Trump in a tweet inaccurately blamed former President Obama for releasing “122 vicious prisoners” from Guantanamo Bay — something the previous President did not even come close to doing. In fact, U.S. intelligence data shows it is former President …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump said Monday that there is “no method” to the way in which he uses Twitter, his preferred social media platform with which he often seeks to end-around the media by communicating directly to his millions of followers. “No method, really. It’s just — it’s not venting either,” Trump said when asked about his Twitter habits …

Axios reports: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer personally picked up the phone and connected outside officials with reporters to try to discredit a New York Times article about Trump campaign aides’ contact with Russia, then remained on the line for the brief conversations, Axios has learned. Ten key points: Why it matters: The new details show how determined the …

Politico reports: Press secretary Sean Spicer is cracking down on leaks coming out of the West Wing, with increased security measures that include random phone checks of White House staffers, overseen by White House attorneys. The push to snuff out leaks to the press comes after a week in which President Donald Trump strongly criticized the media for using unnamed …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Sunday claimed that reports about Russia are “fake news” pushed by the Democrats and the media. “Russia talk is FAKE NEWS put out by the Dems, and played up by the media, in order to mask the big election defeat and the illegal leaks!” the president tweeted. The New York Times reported earlier this …

Via Mediaite: With President Donald Trump continuing his attacks on the New York Times this morning by once again labeling the paper as “failing,” NYT executive editor Dean Baquet appeared on CNN’s Reliable Sources to discuss the president’s relationship with his publication, the press in general, and how Trump has actually been a boon for the Gray Lady. After host …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, rejected calls from his fellow Republican for a special prosecutor to investigate purported ties between Russia and members of President Trump’s administration and campaign. Earlier Saturday, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista (San Diego County), the former House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chair, …

The Liar In Chief this afternoon declared that he will not attend the annual White House Correspondents Dinner rather than face the humiliation of a half-empty room and withering criticism from the stage. Yesterday Bloomberg announced the cancellation of their popular after-party after Trump told the CPAC audience that he plans to “do something” about the press. The WH Correspondents …

The Hill reports: Fox News anchor Shepard Smith defended CNN on Friday after the news organization was barred from spokesman Sean Spicer’s question-and-answer session at the White House. “For the record, ‘fake news’ refers to stories that are created, often by entities pretending to be news organizations, solely to draw clicks and views and are based on nothing of substance,” …

The Slot reports: A few minutes into his CPAC speech Friday, esteemed and honest president Donald J. Trump said people were so excited to hear him speak that, “There are lines that go back six blocks. I tell you that because you won’t read about it.” In a sense, he’s right. You won’t read about it, because they don’t exist. …

Law Newz reports: A group of law professors have filed a misconduct complaint against Kellyanne Conway, claiming that she violated the Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys by giving false statements to the media. Fifteen professors who teach legal ethics at law schools across the country signed the complaint, which was filed with the D.C. Bar’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel. …

Business Insider reports: President Donald Trump received his lowest approval rating since he took office in a poll released on Wednesday. Voters gave Trump a negative 38 – 51% job approval rating in Wednesday’s Quinnipiac University poll, down from a negative 42 – 51% approval rating in Quinnipiac’s last poll on February 7. The Quinnipiac poll shows a severe partisan …

Bustle reports: On a list of President Trump’s friends, the mainstream media is not likely to be found — and that may be putting it lightly. From the days of his campaign to what are now his days in office, the president has criticized long-respected news outlets and their journalists for putting out what he calls “fake news.” However, the …

From the Hollywood Reporter: “And just because this attack didn’t happen, folks, doesn’t mean we don’t stand in solidarity with all the people who did not suffer.” The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert was sure to honor the imaginary victims of the “Bowling Green Massacre,” and he’s back to do the same with the faux terror incident in Sweden. After President …

The Hill reports: Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt responded to President Trump’s remarks on Sweden again — this time with statistics on the country’s crime rates. In a tweet Monday morning, Bildt said the counties Trump made the speech at in Florida experienced higher murder rates last year than the whole country of Sweden did. The largest mass shooting …

The Hill reports: President Trump sought to explain his reference to a nonexistent terrorism incident in Sweden at a rally Saturday night, pointing to a story from Fox News. “My statement as to what’s happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden,” Trump tweeted Sunday. Trump confirmed speculation that a …