Trump: “Of Course” You Report Foreign Campaign Dirt

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The inevitable Phase 2 of Foreigndirtgate took place this morning:

Under fire for saying earlier in the week that “I’d take it” and scoffing at the notion that he should call authorities, Mr. Trump shifted by saying that while he would still look at incriminating information provided by a hostile foreign power about an election opponent he would “absolutely” report such an encounter. “Of course, you give it to the F.B.I. or report it to the attorney general or somebody like that,” Mr. Trump said on “Fox & Friends” in a telephone interview on Friday morning. “But of course you do that. You couldn’t have that happen with our country.”

If this follows the usual pattern, Phase 3 will happen in about a week. That’s the part where Trump, counting on the fact that memories have gotten a little foggy, claims that he’s always said he’d call the FBI if some foreigner offered him campaign dirt. His spear carriers in Congress and the media will all join in, agreeing that the liberal media, as usual, is deliberately impugning Trump’s integrity by misquoting him.

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YOUR GIFT DOUBLES THROUGH FRIDAY

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In a climate where journalists face mounting pressure to back down, stay silent, or soften their reporting, Mother Jones refuses to flinch. We’re pushing back against intimidation and delivering fierce, independent journalism that holds power accountable—no matter who’s trying to silence us.

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