In an interview with journalist Manu Raju, U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, said of Donald Trump, “The president has great difficulty with the truth. On many issues.”
Sen. Corker, I suspect, was trying to be diplomatic in this observation as he deliberately avoided calling the president a liar. In reality, Corker was probably being more astute than he intended.
Not only does President Trump have difficulty telling the truth, apparently he also has a problem when it comes to excepting the truth. A recent article in the Washington Post states that Trump’s own advisors have been unable to convince him that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Even his daily intelligence briefings have to be structured in a format that will not upset him. According to the Washington Post article, “Trump’s main briefer — a veteran CIA analyst — adjusts the order of his presentation and text, aiming to soften the impact.”
The problem with denying the truth is this: unpleasant or unflattering facts don’t go away when left unchallenged. At the national level we are doing virtually nothing to prepare for Russia’s next intrusion into our future elections. In July, Congress overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan law to mandate new sanctions against Russia. Trump reluctantly signed the bill under the threat that his veto might be overridden. Thus far, President Trump has failed to implement any of the sanctions.
I have no problem with the United States seeking improved relations with Russia. My problem is excepting the premiss that there is no problem.
James Car, Celina
