President Donald Trump was on his way out of town on Friday, but wanted to say a few things before heading off to the NRA's national convention in Texas for a speech later in the day.
First he said some stuff outside the White House:
President Trump: "Rudy knows it’s a witch hunt. He started yesterday. He'll get his facts straight. He's a great guy." pic.twitter.com/zkWrwZsRqD
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 4, 2018
Then, when he arrived at the Andrews Air Force base, he said a few more things:
President Trump on White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and on Michael Cohen Payment. pic.twitter.com/LNQ35ynW7c
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 4, 2018
A few takeaways.
So it took them 36 hours to figure out Giuliani wasn't accurate?
And why issue the Trump tweets seeming to confirm Giuliani?
It's one thing to not be initially forthcoming. It's another to only correct the record when you decide it's advantageous to do so.
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) May 4, 2018
WHOOPS: Giuliani to @NBCNews last night: "You're not going to see daylight between the president and me."
Trump this morning: "Rudy is a great guy, but he just started a day ago... He’ll get his facts straight."
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) May 4, 2018
Rudy Giuliani swears Trump was shocked—shocked!—by the Stormy Daniels payment https://t.co/mpnTEojzkD pic.twitter.com/hVdBJYa5bT
— Splinter (@splinter_news) May 4, 2018
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NYT: Trump Undercuts Giuliani About Payments to Stormy Daniels
President Trump undercut his attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani, on Friday, and said the former New York mayor will eventually get the facts right regarding a payment to a pornographic actress who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump.
“And virtually everything said has been said incorrectly, and it’s been said wrong, or it’s been covered wrong by the press,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Giuliani, who joined Mr. Trump’s legal team last month, “just started a day ago,” Mr. Trump said, speaking to reporters on Friday as he left Washington to attend a National Rifle Association convention in Dallas.
“He is a great guy,” Mr. Trump said. “He’ll get his facts straight.”
It was the first time the president addressed the inconsistent narrative about the payment made by his personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, to the actress, Stephanie Clifford, who goes by the stage name Stormy Daniels. Mr. Trump did not offer any details on Friday to clarify the confusion, but said, “It’s actually very simple. But there has been a lot of misinformation.”
ThinkProgress: Michael Cohen reportedly breaks his silence, takes shot at Rudy Giuliani
Donny Deutsch, an advertising executive who has known Cohen and Trump for years, revealed on MSNBC that he had a conversation with Cohen on Thursday. According to Deutsch, in that conversation Cohen said that the narrative Giuliani had constructed around the Stormy Daniels payment was false.
"I spoke with Michael Cohen yesterday, and his [comment] about Giuliani was that he doesn't know what he’s talking about. He also said that, 'Look, there are two people that know exactly what happened — myself and the president, and you’ll be hearing my side of the story,'" Deutsch said.
Deutsch described Cohen as “very frustrated” with Giuliani’s attempt to spin the facts.
As one Common Dreams staffer—though typically it's our job to know—asked while sharing the following tweet: 'Seriously, what the fuck is going on?"
Rudy Giuliani confirms he will be issuing a new statement. "It's a question of misinterpretation," he says. Of the president: "He says he loves me."
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) May 4, 2018
