Opinion: Trump lies, and Comey called him out

Good morning. I’m Paul Thornton, The Times’ letters editor, and it is Saturday, June 10, 2017. Here’s why it doesn’t feel like summer (or close to summer) in Los Angeles yet. Let’s take a look back at the week in Opinion.

Absurdly, President Trump claimed “total and complete vindication” after James Comey’s testimony in the Senate Intelligence Committee Thursday — testimony that credibly tarred Trump as an unrepentant liar who directed the ex-FBI director to end an investigation of former national security advisor Michael Flynn, and that occurred only because the president fired Comey to, by his own admission, impede the bureau’s Russia probe.

So, whom are Americans to believe? The besieged president who treated one of the darkest moments in modern political history as personal victory, or a lifetime public servant like Comey? The Times Editorial Board says it isn’t even close:

Comey’s performance was believable and deeply troubling, as he responded calmly and confidently to questions from members of the committee, including Republicans who acted more as defense counsel for Trump than as impartial investigators. Sen. James Risch of Idaho, for instance, tried to dismiss Comey’s claim that Trump had told him, in a one-on-one meeting in the Oval Office, that “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go.” Risch said: “He didn’t direct you to drop the case,” to which Comey replied, “Not in those words [but] I took it as a direction.” Given the context — the president of the United States leaning on a subordinate in a room from which everyone else has been dismissed — who wouldn’t?

Marc Kasowitz, a lawyer for Trump, contradicted Comey’s assertions, saying the president had never sought a loyalty pledge from the director or tried to stop the investigation of Flynn. That strikes us, frankly, as far-fetched. Kasowitz also noted — correctly — that Comey had confirmed that he privately had told Trump at various times that he himself wasn’t then under investigation by the FBI as part of its Russia probe.

The problem for Trump is that Comey is an experienced public servant with a reputation for rectitude, while Trump is a serial prevaricator whose campaign is currently being investigated not only by two congressional committees but by a special counsel whose mandate could be expanded to include the circumstances of Comey’s dismissal. Trump shouldn’t be surprised that he’s the one with the credibility problem.

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Trump won because he’s an outsider. Now he’s behaving like one. The president may be stunningly incompetent in his handling of Comey and the FBI’s Russia investigation, writes Matt Welch, but his being forced out of office by deep state leaks, the media and other members of the Washington establishment that despise him would set a deeply troubling precedent. “Being ignorant and/or contemptuous of the mores and rituals of the political class was arguably Trump’s biggest selling point as a candidate,” Welch says. L.A. Times

Trump obsesses over terrorism but ignores a greater danger: gun violence. More than 30,000 Americans are killed every year by firearms, making guns an infinitely worse threat to Americans than the terrorism that draws so much of our attention politically, writes The Times Editorial Board. “While it’s good news that we aren’t killing each other as often as we used to, we’re still committing acts of violence at levels unseen in any other industrialized, developed society,” the board says. L.A. Times

Dani Mathers is sorry she body-shamed another woman. What does her victim think? In an interview with The Times’ Patt Morrison, Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer speaks on the 70-year-old victim’s behalf; he reveals that Mathers, who posted a photo online of the woman naked in a gym locker room along with derogatory comments, had not reached out to her victim to apologize despite expressing contrition on TV. “One thing that appears to be the case now is that Ms. Mathers is attempting to portray herself as the victim,” Feuer says. “She is not the victim. She is the perpetrator.” L.A. Times

An hour-long bus trip to Watts caused her to miss a job interview. It also highlights why Trump’s proposal to boost infrastructure in the United States by leaning heavily on the private sector will not serve the Americans who need it most, as the money for such projects tends to reside in wealthy areas. “Instead of making the rich richer and well-off areas better off, a smart infrastructure investment plan would focus on vulnerable communities, making strategic improvements to benefit a greater number of people,” writes Angela Glover Blackwell. New York Times

Actually, hate speech is protected speech. Political clashes across the country have led to a debate on controversial speech, which is not problematic in and of itself, writes 1st Amendment litigator Ken White. Problem is, the debate relies too much on useless and inaccurate cliches, including “hate speech is not free speech” and “we must balance free speech and other interests.” L.A. Times

Reach me: paul.thornton@latimes.com