Following Thursday’s meetings about documents related to the ongoing criminal investigation of the Trump campaign — ones where Trump’s lawyer and chief of staff made highly unusual appearances — House Intelligence Committee ranking member Adam Schiff (D-CA) released a statement saying no evidence was presented supporting President Trump’s assertions about FBI spies being embedded in his campaign.
“No evidence to support any allgeation that a spy was placed in the Trump campaign,” House Intel Ranking Member Adam Schiff said in a statement on behalf of all Democrats in the Gang of 8.
— Marianna Sotomayor (@MariannaNBCNews) May 24, 2018
A short time later, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) accidentally gave away the cynical game Trump’s Republican supporters are playing. In a tweet, Cornyn accused Schiff of leaking classified information by attempting to debunk Trump’s lies.
“Isn’t this a leak of classified information?” Cornyn wrote, in response to Schiff’s statement.
Isn’t this a leak of classified information? https://t.co/PXaRZ3A9d9
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) May 25, 2018
Steven Dennis of Bloomberg responded to Cornyn by asking, “How can it be classified info if there was no such info?” But Cornyn dismissed the question, characterizing Schiff’s statement as “Spin based on classified information. Still classified.”
Spin based on classified information. Still classified. https://t.co/WIEhIspo1v
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) May 25, 2018
Cornyn’s tweets give a window into one possible end game of Trump’s fake “spygate” scandal. Trump has falsified quotes and made baseless accusations in an effort to get people to believe that James Comey’s FBI planted spies in his campaign. While the president has provided no evidence that there’s any merit to his accusations, Fox News has amplified them as though they are facts, while the president’s Republican allies in Congress refuse to rebuke the president by correcting the record. Trump then repeats his lies in hopes of giving them more credibility.
Trump is undeterred, embellishing his false claims further this morning. He tweeted that the “spy” was placed in the campaign by the Democratic party for “the sole purpose of political advantage.”
Can anyone even imagine having Spies placed in a competing campaign, by the people and party in absolute power, for the sole purpose of political advantage and gain? And to think that the party in question, even with the expenditure of far more money, LOST!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2018
Now, the second-ranking Senate Republican is claiming debunking Trump’s lies represents a leak of classified information. The hope seems to be that by silencing the truth, Trump can continue to present an alternative reality, muddying the waters of public debate.