- Joined
- Apr 20, 2018
- Messages
- 10,257
- Reaction score
- 4,161
- Location
- Washington, D.C.
- Gender
- Undisclosed
- Political Leaning
- Undisclosed
The WH is yet again showing just how much disarray and incoherence suffuses the Trump Administration. Today Sarah Sanders remarked that that WH is not commenting on the Trump-Daniels matter because it's an ongoing litigation matter. Really, Sarah?
That is surely not why the WH isn't remarking on the matter. One will recall that on March 7, 2017, when the matter was still an ongoing matter being litigated, Sanders participated in the following exchange:
Will these people ever sit down and cobble together a coherent set of messages? I mean, really. They've had over a year to put together a way of doing that and still haven't. Of course, Trump has marginalized John Kelly, the one person there who knows how to infuse an operation with discipline, and he has yet to install a new communications director.
What is the key role of the communications director (CD)? Mostly to act as a coordinator of the strategy and messaging among all things POTUS. The role is necessary so that the press secretary can be kept out of the loop and not be forced to lie. The CD knows "what's what" in all respects and filters to the press secretary (and/or other spokespersons in the communications office) what can be publicly shared and what is the official message overall, ideally one that doesn't contradict anything, doesn't limit what can later be said, and that aligns clearly with what any reasonable person would expect to be so. Put another way, it's the CD's job to keep track of all the BS the POTUS says and make sure that nothing comes out to the contrary. (It's no wonder Hicks resigned. Over three thousand lies are all but impossible to keep track of.)
That is surely not why the WH isn't remarking on the matter. One will recall that on March 7, 2017, when the matter was still an ongoing matter being litigated, Sanders participated in the following exchange:
[Reporter]: Sure. Sure. To both Jeff, as well as, Monday, to the Wall Street Journal reporter, you were asked about whether the President knew about this payment his longtime lawyer made to — facilitated, rather — to Stormy Daniels. You said then, and again today, not that you’re aware of. Have you asked the President this question?
MS. SANDERS: Yeah, I’ve had conversations with the President about this. And, as I outlined earlier, that this case has already been won in arbitration and that there was no knowledge of any payments from the President, and he’s denied all of these allegations.
[Reporter]: But I just want to — is there a reason why you’re not answering the actual substance of the question on the payment itself? Because it’s come up a few times now.
MS. SANDERS: I’ve believed I’ve addressed this question pretty extensively. And on ongoing litigation, I’m not going to comment any further than I already have.
-- Sarah Sanders, Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, March 7, 2018
MS. SANDERS: Yeah, I’ve had conversations with the President about this. And, as I outlined earlier, that this case has already been won in arbitration and that there was no knowledge of any payments from the President, and he’s denied all of these allegations.
[Reporter]: But I just want to — is there a reason why you’re not answering the actual substance of the question on the payment itself? Because it’s come up a few times now.
MS. SANDERS: I’ve believed I’ve addressed this question pretty extensively. And on ongoing litigation, I’m not going to comment any further than I already have.
-- Sarah Sanders, Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, March 7, 2018
Will these people ever sit down and cobble together a coherent set of messages? I mean, really. They've had over a year to put together a way of doing that and still haven't. Of course, Trump has marginalized John Kelly, the one person there who knows how to infuse an operation with discipline, and he has yet to install a new communications director.
What is the key role of the communications director (CD)? Mostly to act as a coordinator of the strategy and messaging among all things POTUS. The role is necessary so that the press secretary can be kept out of the loop and not be forced to lie. The CD knows "what's what" in all respects and filters to the press secretary (and/or other spokespersons in the communications office) what can be publicly shared and what is the official message overall, ideally one that doesn't contradict anything, doesn't limit what can later be said, and that aligns clearly with what any reasonable person would expect to be so. Put another way, it's the CD's job to keep track of all the BS the POTUS says and make sure that nothing comes out to the contrary. (It's no wonder Hicks resigned. Over three thousand lies are all but impossible to keep track of.)
