On Twitter Saturday night and Sunday morning, President Donald Trump flooded the zone with his takes on a variety of topics, all seemingly sharing one message: It’s not my fault.
The past week was a taxing one for the President, politically: A mass shooting in Florida increased the pressure on Congress to enact gun control legislation. Robert Mueller indicted 14 people, Russian and American, and additional entities on various charges in the course of his special counsel investigation — one that the administration has maintained is a “witch hunt” based on a “hoax.” And the New Yorker magazine detailed another extramarital affair the President reportedly paid to keep quiet.
Trump’s tweets deflected responsibility in bursts.
Despite congressional Republicans constituting the only obstacle to new gun control legislation, the President blamed Democrats for just that.
Just like they don’t want to solve the DACA problem, why didn’t the Democrats pass gun control legislation when they had both the House & Senate during the Obama Administration. Because they didn’t want to, and now they just talk!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2018
He said the FBI’s focus on the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election — one in which his administration has repeatedly attempted to interfere — distracted the bureau from the threat posed by the gunman who ultimately committed a shooting massacre in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday.
The bureau admitted that a lapse in protocol occurred when a tip about the gunman was not flagged to the relevant local authorities. The bureau did not say it had been distracted by the Russia probe. Trump’s tweet echoed a widespread sentiment among the far-right.
Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign – there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2018
Trump nitpicked with his own national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, who said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that Robert Mueller’s recent indictments provided “incontrovertible” evidence of Russian meddling in the election — but did not say that that such meddling didn’t affect the election. In announcing the indictment against 13 people for various charges Friday Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said only that there was no allegation “in the indictment” of any effect on the outcome of the election.
General McMaster forgot to say that the results of the 2016 election were not impacted or changed by the Russians and that the only Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems. Remember the Dirty Dossier, Uranium, Speeches, Emails and the Podesta Company!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2018
At 7:02 a.m. he attacked former President Barack Obama for a cash payment to Iran that Obama administration officials have consistently defended. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who’s facing his own troubles at home — attacked Iran and the Iran deal at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday.
Never gotten over the fact that Obama was able to send $1.7 Billion Dollars in CASH to Iran and nobody in Congress, the FBI or Justice called for an investigation!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2018
And he seized on a comment made by the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who told NBC News on Friday that the Obama administration should have provided a “more forceful deterrent” to foreign cyber attacks following the 2014 Sony hack.
Finally, Liddle’ Adam Schiff, the leakin’ monster of no control, is now blaming the Obama Administration for Russian meddling in the 2016 Election. He is finally right about something. Obama was President, knew of the threat, and did nothing. Thank you Adam!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2018
I never said Russia did not meddle in the election, I said “it may be Russia, or China or another country or group, or it may be a 400 pound genius sitting in bed and playing with his computer.” The Russian “hoax” was that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia – it never did!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2018
Now that Adam Schiff is starting to blame President Obama for Russian meddling in the election, he is probably doing so as yet another excuse that the Democrats, lead by their fearless leader, Crooked Hillary Clinton, lost the 2016 election. But wasn’t I a great candidate?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2018
Trump is incorrect in saying “I never said Russia did not meddle in the election.” At times he has specified that his campaign did not collude with Russia. But he has also frequently tossed nuance aside and called the entire Mueller investigation a “witch hunt,” or declared that “Russia is fake news.”
According to the White House press secretary’s schedule, the President had no public events Sunday. But on Twitter, as the day began, he had more to say.
The Fake News of big ratings loser CNN. https://t.co/rYsv90cnvs
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2018
Great Pollster John McLaughlin now has the GOP up in the Generic Congressional Ballot. Big gain over last 4 weeks. I guess people are loving the big Tax Cuts given them by the Republicans, the Cuts the Dems want to take away. We need more Republicans!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2018
