The president needs to navigate a hostile media environment.
President Trump fired FBI director James Comey last week, abruptly, without warning or advanced leaks to the media. Of course, the Beltway establishment is apoplectic over the President dismissing a subordinate felt to be unfit for the job. As are Democrats who only weeks or months ago, themselves questioned Comey’s fitness to serve as FBI director and called for him to resign or be fired.
As predictable as sunrise and sunset, Democrats are calling for an independent counsel to investigate Trump and are even suggesting impeachment. I’ ve not seen the Democrats and their media allies this upset since the shocking revelation that the President gets two scoops of ice cream with his chocolate pie while others at the table get only one scoop. Talk about high crimes and misdemeanors.
If I was part of the White House communications team, I would have prepared remarks along these lines for the President to deliver after sacking James Comey. Using these words, he might have been able to squelch the media hyperventilation and outrage. Then again probably not, but worth a try. Let’s see what Trump could have said.
“Good afternoon. In recent months, serious questions have been raised about the conduct and the leadership of the Director of the FBI.”
“I asked the Attorney General to assess the Director’s tenure and the proper response to the turmoil now in the Bureau.”
“After a thorough review by the Attorney General of the Director’s leadership if the FBI, he has reported to me in no uncertain terms that he can no longer effectively lead the Bureau and law enforcement community.”
“In accord with the recommendation of the Attorney General, with which I fully agree, I called the Director and informed him that I was dismissing him, effective immediately, as Director of the FBI.”
“We cannot have a leadership vacuum at an agency as important to the United States as the FBI. It is time that this difficult chapter in the Agency’s history is brought to a close.”
“With a change in management in the FBI, we can now give the crime fighters the leadership they deserve.”
Simple. Straightforward. As is President Trump’s style. Likely to be accepted by the media and political opposition as it’s clearly within the prerogative of the Chief Executive. No calls for impeachment. No demands for a special prosecutor. No badgering the administration’s press secretary by an enraged media.
Readers must think I’ m insane to suggest that the media would accept such remarks. After all, Trump could cure cancer and invent a flying car and he’ d still be an incompetent pig in the eyes of the left.
It just so happens that the above explanation for dismissing an FBI director is based not on President Trump, but on the last President to fire his FBI chief, President Bill Clinton. My suggested press release was essentially what Clinton said on July 19,1993 when he sacked FBI Director William Sessions.
The Fake Stream Media, including the NY Times, was much more restrained and understanding when President Clinton said, “You’ re fired”. The following day, the NY Times headline read, “Defiant FBI chief removed from job by the President.”
Flash forward a few decades to a Republican President doing the same. How did the NY Times cover Trump sacking his FBI chief?
Last week’s NY Times headline announced, “FBI Director James Comey is fired by Trump.” Notice how Clinton “removed” his FBI chief while Trump “fired” his? Not a very subtle distinction by the NY Times.
Another headline read, “Trump fires Comey and Putin smiles.” Still another headline, “Sense of crisis deepens as Trump defends FBI firing.” Where was the snarky Russian comment or mention of crisis when President Clinton exercised his constitutional prerogative?
The NY Times went further, invoking the W-word with Trump, but not for Clinton. This headline, “In Trump’s firing of James Comey, echoes of Watergate.” Aside from the fact that Nixon did not fire his FBI director, why is Watergate invoked only when a Republican President does exactly the same as his Democrat predecessor?
Hypocrisy or double standards? Or no standards. Just outright hostility from the media charged with reporting the news, fairly and accurately, rather than promoting and advancing a political agenda.
President Trump is certainly aware of the media’s efforts to destroy him personally and politically. What better way to fight back than to use the words of the left’s beloved Bill Clinton when announcing the Comey dismissal? And if that doesn’ t work, he could always say, “What difference, at this point, does it make?”
Brian C Joondeph, MD, MPS, a Denver based physician and writer. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
