Over the past 24 hours, Donald Trump has unleashed a raging tweetstorm in response to the Russia indictments, furiously trying to vindicate himself, proclaim his innocence, and re-litigate his election.
In the history of Trump tweeting, it's something to see.
The tweets started Friday, shortly after the news that Robert Mueller had indicted 13 Russian nationals for interfering in the U.S. political system.
Tweeted Trump: “Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong – no collusion!”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/964594780088033282
He repeated the tweet the next day. Desperation.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/964949269374529538
Trump's tweet was, of course, immediately disputed.
News outlets that reported this fact (partial list):
—Wash. Post.
—NY Times.
—NPR.
—CNN.
—Fox News.
—ABC.
—NBC.
—CBS.
—MSNBC.
—PBS.
—AP.
—Reuters.
—New Yorker.
—BuzzFeed.
—Daily Beast.
—BBC.
—Slate.
—Vox.
—Atlantic. https://t.co/iG3jjJArx9— Paul Farhi (@farhip) February 17, 2018
He then began trying to use supporting characters to support his false argument.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/964944088696049666
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/964946611502747649
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/964955496137535488
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/964956781670694912
Wired adds: “Goldman maintains that the Russians were not trying to influence the election, in part, because they organized protests on “both sides,” which is true. Some of the Russians' propaganda efforts were designed simply to cause confusion, distrust, and sow division. However that doesn't mean they weren't also attempting to do everything in their power to ensure Clinton wasn't elected. The IRA had dozens of full-time employees and spent over $1 million a month on its efforts, according to the indictment.”
Trump then tried to predictably blame the FBI's flub on rooting out the school shooter by repeating the conservative claim that it was because they were spending all their time trying to undermine him.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/965075589274177536
He then responded to remarks from his own national security adviser HR McMaster, who told an international audience that the indictments represented “incontrovertible” evidence that the Russians had meddled.
Tweeted Trump: “General McMaster forgot to say that the results of the 2016 election were not impacted or changed by the Russians and that the only Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems. Remember the Dirty Dossier, Uranium, Speeches, Emails and the Podesta Company!”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/965079126829871104
He then tried to further discredit the FBI with a claim about Obama.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/965194903142719489
He then made a spurious claim in response to some marks made by House Intelligence Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
Schiff had said to NBC News, of Russia's cyber campaign: “We should have called them out much earlier. While I respect the motive in terms of the Obama administration, they didn't want to be seen as meddling, the American people had a right to know what was going on and could be trusted to do the right thing with it. And they should have defended being more public and aggressive at the time, at least in my view.”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/965199840471810049
Trump then tried to walk back some of his statements from last year:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/965202556204003328
Before returning to Adam Schiff:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/965205208191168512
Finally, Trump tweeted this morning: “If it was the GOAL of Russia to create discord, disruption and chaos within the U.S. then, with all of the Committee Hearings, Investigations and Party hatred, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They are laughing their asses off in Moscow. Get smart America!”
Which NY Times reporter Maggie Haberman declared “accurate.”
This tweet is accurate. https://t.co/8vFy8vGWmc
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/965212168449941505
Stay tuned, it's surely not over.