President Donald Trump has relentlessly thrashed former FBI Director James Comey like the president’s turned into a schoolyard bully establishing who can and can’t sit at their lunch table, but Comey’s still around anyway. This week, he defended U.S. Senator-elect Mitt Romney (R-Utah) after Trump and the GOP sought to undercut his legitimacy since he dared question the president’s character.
As Comey put his take:
‘Looks like the Republican tent is too small to fit integrity. Today, Republicans attacked a Senator for truthfully calling out the President for his lack of character, while staying mute as he proved it by lying about Jim Mattis and approving the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.’
As the former FBI director mentions, the same day Trump and his supporters piled on Romney for daring to dissent, Trump publicly and flagrantly sought to establish his own reality-disconnected narrative yet again. He falsely claimed that he had fired outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis, and he added a dubious claim that terrorists had been “pouring” into the Soviet Union from Afghanistan so their invasion of the country was justified.
Both assertions figure into Trump’s ongoing aim to make himself look good. Trump has relentlessly pushed the supposed desperate need for more border security, and he’s concurrently faced tough criticism over Mattis’ resignation. The retired general wrote a scathing resignation letter slamming Trump’s embrace of longtime aggressors and dismissal of allies.
The president responded to criticism from Mitt Romney in a similar fashion. Romney had insisted:
‘With the nation so divided, resentful, and angry, presidential leadership in qualities of character is indispensable. And it is in this province where the incumbent’s shortfall has been most glaring.’
Basically proving Romney’s point — and himself unwilling to ignore even the slightest criticism in the process — Trump ranted in reply:
‘Here we go with Mitt Romney, but so fast!.. I won big, and he didn’t. He should be happy for all Republicans. Be a TEAM player & WIN!’
Trump and Romney have previously been at odds, with the former presidential candidate previously calling out Trump’s amorality — but they’ve also found common ground, and Romney was considered a candidate for Trump’s first Secretary of State.
He takes his seat in the U.S. Senate this week.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
