At Helsinki: “My people came to me … they said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be. But I really do want to see the server.” Despite Trump’s walk back, this can ONLY mean: “I don’t see any reason why it would be RUSSIA; I believe Putin, not the US intel community; but I still want to see the server: maybe I’m wrong”!

[Originally published on Twitter July 17, 2018]

BREAKING: If Trump is climbing down at all now, it’s because internal WH polling must be telling him that Helsinki did not go over with his BASE.
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1/ BTW: Trump’s “clarification” is bullshit. It doesn’t fit in with the remarks at the presser when put in context.

2/ If the order had been: first Putin (not Russia), then Coats (it is Russia), the “clarification” or correction (I don’t see why it WOULDN’T be Russia) would make sense.

3/ But that wasn’t the order. At the presser, T said: first Coats (it is Russia), then Putin (not Russia). Given that order, he must have meant: Coats said it was Russia, but Putin denies it, and I don’t see why it WOULD be Russia.

4/ It also fits what he says immediately after that: (though I don’t see why it WOULD be Russia) I still want to see the server.

4/ Here’s the passage from a transcript: