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We don't love to use this space for politicians who are currently running for office. That does not mean we won't do it, just that we don't love it. We also don't want to beat a dead horse. That said, Donald Trump's inability to move past the Arlington mess is becoming absolutely comical.
Recall that after the news of an altercation broke, the Trump campaign insisted there was no altercation, and that it was all the invention of a mentally imbalanced Arlington employee. This caused the normally non-partisan, stay-above-the-fray U.S. Army to issue a statement, and to make clear that it was most certainly the fault of the Trump campaign.
When the United States Army has lined up against you, it's time to surrender. But that's just not Trump's style. And so, he doubled down on his fantasies, and declared that there was not only no altercation, but that the whole story was concocted by Kamala Harris. That's a good one, Donald. Why on earth would she need to make up stories when you keep shooting yourself in the foot?
The Army did not take kindly to Trump's continued lying, and so waded in yet again yesterday. This time, the statement from the Pentagon not only affirmed there was an altercation, but identified which members of the Trump campaign were responsible. It was deputy campaign manager Justin Caporale and advance team member Michel Picard. Of course, maybe Harris made them up, too.
And so, Trump has managed to keep this story alive for at least two more news cycles. And this may well not be the end of it. On Wednesday, Trump co-campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles sent a memo to campaign staff telling them to stop leaking information to the press. Naturally, within 24 hours, the memo leaked. People who follow these things closely are interpreting the memo as a sign that a big, adverse-to-Trump story is about to drop from someone, and the subject may well be the Arlington fiasco. We'll presumably know sometime next week. (Z)