"Deals can't get done when there is no trust!" President Trump tweeted in response to Richard Durbin's contention that Trump spoke of wanting immigrants from places such as Norway instead of from (expletive) countries.
When Durbin was then asked if he violated a trust when he spoke publicly of what had been said at the meeting in the White House, he replied, "Listen, I didn't take an oath of secrecy when I walked into the White House."
My memory floats back to those who have taken oaths of secrecy, of how President Trump made campaign workers such as Steve Bannon sign oaths of secrecy to prevent them from saying negative things about him.
And, my memory recalls Trump's desire to give our libel laws a work-over. What would he do? I don't know. Would he make it so things could not be said if they were not clearly substantiated? If you were just wondering if something was going on, you couldn't say it -- no -- not unless you were fortunate enough to have all the cold, hard facts.
Oaths to protect this man from truth? Laws to shield him from truth? Is this not an assault on free speech? Are these not attempts to ensure that only the official state version of things gets told? Would Trump silence all other voices so only his official government narrative makes the news?
I believe in transparency. And, this is not it. Instead, it is something we might call, "Trumparency."
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