Last week, we walked through just a few things that both the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees said about themselves and about their respective opponent. This week we are going to talk about the truth. Unfortunately, it seems like many on the left and the right have made a concerted effort to ignore said truth. Shall we begin?
During a CNN interview, Clinton made the almost laughable claim that she is the most transparent candidate not only compared to Trump but in all of presidential history. Citing her release of tax returns and other miscellaneous documents that Trump had not released. In a vacuum, her argument is sound. However, during the many hours of committee meetings with FBI Director James Comey and with the release of thousands of emails by WikiLeaks, there has been a “Wizard of Oz”-ian type reveal as to the true nature of Clinton’s so called transparency.
Clinton stated that no classified information was sent or received over her private server. FBI Director James Comey said that to be false. Clinton stated that there were no emails marked classified that she sent or received on her server, Director Comey determined that to also be false. Clinton stated that all work related emails were turned over to the state department, also untrue.
Speaking of emails, WikiLeaks recently released over 20,000 of Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign chairman, John Podesta’s, emails to the public. With emails surfacing that has been a “Pay to Play” system in Hillary’s circle, Clinton’s transparency narrative seems weak at best: From RT.com, Abedin says the “King has personally committed approximately $12 million both for the endowment and to support the meeting” and that “the condition upon which the Moroccans agreed to host the meeting was her participation. If HRC [Hillary Rodham Clinton] was not part of it, meeting was a non-starter.”
Donald John Trump. What I can tell you from the get-go is that Trump’s lies do not seem to carry as much weight as Hillary’s. That isn’t because Trump is any different as a person or a politician, because believe me he is, but rather because his lies do not affect as many people as Hillary’s.
For example, Trump has recently been called out for his “locker-room” talk with Billy Bush. Subsequently, Anderson Cooper during the second Presidential debate forced Trump to answer whether or not he had ever sexually assaulted women in the ways he spoke about in the recording. Of course Trump responded “No.” The very next day multiple women from all over come out and describe exactly the things he did and they just so happened to fit the words said during his “hot-mic” incident.
On March 17, speaking about the presence of WMD’s in Iraq, Trump said that he never accused President Bush of lying about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Stating, “I didn’t say lie. I said he may have lied” when not two months prior he said Bush did lie about WMD’s in Iraq during a Republican primary debate. On March 9, Trump stated “Eight weeks ago, they signed a budget that is so bad. It funds ISIS.” In response to his statement, POLITICO wrote, “The omnibus spending bill, passed in December, is not strictly a budget, and it’s not clear what part of it Trump thinks gives money to ISIS.”
Whether you are on the left or the right, one thing we can all agree on is that both of these candidates are pathological liars. While Trump’s lies, as they stand, do not seem to have as much of an impact on the American people as Clinton’s, one could only wonder what it would mean if he were President. By the same token, with the depth and corruptness of Hillary’s lies, one could only wonder what it would mean if she were President.