June 8-10, 2017: Former F.B.I. Director Calls Trump a Liar - Infrastructure Week Fizzles

 

6/8/17: Former F.B.I. Director Comey spends the day testifying in front of Congress. Five times he implies or refers to the president as a liar. He has detailed notes on their interactions. 

__________ 

Five times Comey implies or refers to the president as a liar.

__________ 

 

Asked why he kept such notes, when he never felt the need under Bush 43 or Obama, he says in respect to Trump: 

I was honestly concerned he might lie about the nature of the meeting so I thought it important to document. That combination of things [Trump’s request for loyalty, among others] I had never experienced before, but had led me to believe I got to write it down and write it down in a very detailed way.

 

James Comey testifies under oath.

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SPEAKING LIARS, right-wing thinkers applaud newly-elected GOP member of the House of Representatives, Greg Gianforte. During a heated campaign, Gianforte body-slams a British reporter when the chap has the audacity to ask what the candidate thinks about healthcare. The attack never happened, Gianforte and his campaign manager claim. The story is “fake news.” 

A local Fox News reporter and other witnesses back up the victim’s claims. It’s not fake news.

 

BLOGGER’S NOTE: In July, Gianforte pleads guilty to misdemeanor assault and agrees to donate $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists. 

By December 9, 2017, polls will show that 51% of Americans think Trump is not “honest.” Only 36% will think he is.

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6/9/17: The delusional leader of the Free World wakes up in a chipper mood. Having watched Comey’s testimony, as filtered through Fox & Friends, Trump tweets, “Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker!” 

In reality, it seems Comey was fired because the president wanted to kill the Russian investigation. 

Obstruction of justice comes to mind. So say articles in the Chicago Sun-Times, the Baltimore Sun, USA Today, The Hill, Time, National Review, and stories on CNN, NBC and even BBC News.

___ 

 

6/10/17: “Infrastructure Week,” proclaimed on June 6, draws to a close. Since no one seems to notice, the president’s only tweet of the day tries to draw attention. With nothing better to do on a lazy Saturday, he pulls out his trusty iPhone: “America is going to build again. Under budget and ahead of schedule. Time to put #AmericaFirst! #Infrastructure-Week…” 

No one cares, because the president can’t stay on message long enough to get his plans across to the American people. It’s like having a gerbil in the Oval Office. It doesn’t help that the infrastructure plan has not actually been released. Finally, it doesn’t help to know that fiscal hawks in Congress are as excited about spending $1 trillion on anything as they would be about contracting Zika.

August 9, 2021: President Biden Gets an Infrastructure Deal

 

8/9/21: We should note that this week the U.S. Senate voted by a count of 69-30 to advance a $1 trillion infrastructure bill pushed by President Biden. Nineteen Republicans joined all 50 Democrats and independents to pass the measure, over Loser Donald’s shrill complaint. 

All we got with Loser Don in four years were lame-ass “Infrastructure Weeks,” and no actual infrastructure, whatsoever.

November 7, 2021: President Biden Gets an Infrastructure Deal

11/7/21: You don’t need to look around for long to understand that all politicians are not alike. 

Some think women have the right to choose if they want an abortion. Some, down in Texas, don’t think they do. 

Some think grabbing women by the pussy is a perk of fame. Regardless of party, most men don’t, and don’t.

Let’s start today by comparing Trump and Biden, regarding infrastructure. You may recall that way back on June 4, 2017, President Trump announced that we were all enjoying “Infrastructure Week.” 

We just didn’t know it because no infrastructure ever happened while he was leading the country. 

On that day, long ago, he announced that he had a $1 trillion plan he wanted Congress to pass, and with nothing better to do on a lazy Saturday, as “Infrastructure Week” drew to a close (June 10), he pulled out his trusty iPhone and tweeted: “America is going to build again. Under budget and ahead of schedule. Time to put #AmericaFirst! #Infrastructure-Week…” 

Unfortunately, America never did start building again while he was in the Oval Office, not “under budget,” or over budget, or any other budget. And definitely not “ahead of schedule.” The problem was Trump couldn’t stay on message long enough to get his plans across to Congress let alone the American people. It was like having a field mouse in the White House.

Someone gave Trump a big chart to play with.

 

It didn’t help that his infrastructure plan had not actually been released. Kind of like his taxes.

Nor did it help to know that GOP fiscal hawks in Congress, both houses of which they controlled that summer, were as excited about spending $1 trillion on anything new as they would have been about contracting Zika. 

And so, it didn’t come to pass. No infrastructure plan was ever approved with Trump as president. Meanwhile, the fiscal hawks chirped contentedly and watched Donald blow the budget anyway. All we had to show for his four years in the White House were massive tax cuts for billionaires. 

Yet, as late as April 2020, Trump was still bragging about his infrastructure plans, now grown to $2.2 trillion. All he needed was a second term to work out pesky details. But he promised he had a real plan this time, and that real plan was even bigger than his first real plan. Aides proved it by parking two tractor trailer rigs in front of the White House. 

As a reporter for Transport Topics noted at the time – and don’t we all love to read that magazine at bedtime: 

As Trump has explained for weeks, a macroeconomic recovery should include a rebuilding campaign of bridges, tunnels and roadways critical for the movement of freight via trucks. Significant aspects of the infrastructure system require repairs. Take for instance a new report by the group representing road builders which determined that about 46,000 bridges are structurally deficient.

 

“We’re working very strongly on an infrastructure package. And if we could get some Democrat support, we’re going to have a tremendous — you’re going to have nice roads again, nice, beautiful roads again,” Trump said of a $2 trillion infrastructure package he proposes to fund through low-interest borrowing.

 

Later that day, the president reminded reporters: “A lot of bridges are in bad shape. They should have been fixed 25 years ago, and they’re still standing. They have to be fixed. So hopefully we’ll get an infrastructure bill.”

 

But he couldn’t. 

Trump’s plans fizzled, and he frittered away his days, golfing more than 300 times during his single term as president, tweeting and retweeting  more than 50,000 times, and then the field mouse got voted out of office. 

“Sleepy Joe” came in, worked tirelessly to bridge divisions, even within his party, got just enough Republican support in Congress to get a real plan – with real details everyone could see and study – passed and signed last Friday. That plan will mean $1.2 trillion in new spending for roads, bridges, railways, airports, power infrastructure, improved broadband access in rural areas and more. 

So, that’s one difference between politicians. With Trump, all we ever got were more potholes.

 

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NOW THAT President Biden has an infrastructure plan that has actually passed, we see a third difference. Rejected-President Trump threw a tantrum. If he couldn’t have infrastructure no one could. 

“All Republicans who voted for Democrat longevity should be ashamed of themselves, in particular Mitch McConnell, for granting a two month stay which allowed the Democrats time to work things out at our Country’s, and the Republican Party’s, expense!” Trump complained in a Sunday statement.