Bannon knows something
by digby
I noticed Bannon’s apparent prevarication on Russia on 60 Minutes when I originally watched the interview but moved on to other things and forgot about it. Aaron Blake at the Washington Post wrote about it this morning:
Stephen K. Bannon labeled the Russia investigation a “farce” and a “waste of time” during his interview with “60 Minutes” this weekend. But those strong words papered over what was otherwise a pretty nervous and nonsensical defense of President Trump on Russia.
If you watch the video above, you’ll see Bannon repeatedly stumble over his answers to Charlie Rose’s questions. Bannon echoed the Trump White House’s long-running strategy of deflecting on Russia, responding to questions about whether there was interference by saying there was no collusion and that it didn’t have an impact. Both times Bannon tried this, though, Rose called him out for not answering the question.
And by the end of the segment, Bannon offered perhaps his most illogical argument of the entire interview, suggesting that Trump didn’t more directly criticize Russia because he doesn’t want to pick a fight (!). This is a president, of course, who picks fights with pretty much everyone — up to and including members of his own party, his own staff, and powerful and adversarial countries like China.
Blake goes into the whole exchange but he put together a map of all the countries Trump has picked fights with:
Most notably, Trump has repeatedly gone after China, including this month when he threatened to cut off trade with it over its relationship with North Korea. Then there were the times he berated the Australian prime minister, told Mexico it was going to pay for his border wall, told Germany it was exploiting the European Union, and on and on.
In the very same interview, in fact, Bannon praised Trump’s counterpunching. “I think I’m a street fighter,” Bannon said. “And by the way, I think that’s why Donald Trump and I get along so well. Donald Trump’s a fighter. Great counterpuncher. Great counterpuncher. He’s a fighter.” Russia seems to be one of very few exceptions to that rule.
Of course it is. That’s why it stands out that Trump cannot bring himself to criticize Russia for anything, not even when they brag about stealing the presidency.
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