A substantial process
The check was in the mail! It was in the mail, I tell you! Ok it was in the mail after the story broke in the Post, but all the same it was in the mail.
The family of a slain US soldier has received their $25,000 personal check from President Donald Trump months after receiving a condolence call from Trump and being offered the money, according to an ABC11 reporteron Monday.
A letter signed by Trump was also sent with condolences to Chris Baldridge, the father of Sgt. Dillon Baldridge, who was one of three US soldiers killed in Afghanistan when an Afghan police officer fired on them. The Taliban have since claimed responsibility.
“I am glad my legal counsel has been able to finally approve this contribution to you,” the letter reportedly said.
Oh, nice, a condolence letter complete with flagrant steaming lie. What a coincidence that his legal counsel finally approved the check minutes after the story broke in the news. How odd that his legal counsel has to approve a personal check for 25k but doesn’t have to approve the steady ongoing violation of the Emoluments Clause to name just one item.
The check’s reported date, October 18, is the same date as that of a Washington Post report that first revealed Trump’s phone call to the Baldridges. Trump had reportedly offered $25,000 to the family and proposed to help establish an online fundraiser several weeks after Dillon’s death. The Post, however, said that as of the report’s publication, Trump had done neither.
But surely the date is pure coincidence.
After The Post’s report, a White House official said that there was a “substantial process that can involve multiple agencies any time the president interacts with the public, especially when transmitting personal funds” and that “the check has been in the pipeline since the president’s initial call with the father.”
Do we believe that? No we do not, not for a second.
The Baldridges expressed gratitude upon finally receiving the check.
“I’m still speechless,” Dillon Baldridge’s mother, Jessie, told ABC11. “We are so moved and grateful, and we promise to use the money to honor Dillon’s legacy.”
“We just thought he was saying something nice,” she continued. “We got a condolence letter from him (a few weeks later) and there was no check, and we kind of joked about it.”
Oh yes, very nice, to say I’ll send you 25k and then not do it. Heart of gold, that guy has.
I hope they cashed it immediately and have the cash somewhere safe.
..Do we believe that? No we do not, not for a second….
Given that we know the White House is full of people frantic to smear and undermine Trump, who are prepared to work hard to try to put a negative spin on a praiseworthy offer of funds from his own pocket, as this piece amply demonstrates – I’d say the answer is ‘Yes’.
Heart of gold? Wasn’s that a spaceship shaped as a tennis shoe?
Brain of lead? That, I can believe.
Tin man, perhaps.
Mercurius? Naah.
Mars-upial, ok.
Dodgy Geezer – how hard is it to report that the check wasn’t sent until the day the story appeared? How hard was it to report that the recipient said it hadn’t been sent? How praiseworthy is it to say you’ll send 25k if you don’t send it?
Troll@2,
Oh, we know that, do we? Sounds like we have been watching too much Fox News.
Even assuming the WH really was “full” of such people, it would say something fairly dire about Trump’s inability to hire appropriate people. The vast majority of White House staff are hired by the incoming administration, and the ones who carry over are non-policy types (cooks, butlers, plumbers) who aren’t likely to be hanging out in the Oval Office overhearing substantive conversations.
The White House certainly seems to be full of people who leak things that are embarrassing to Trump, if he had the decency and self-knowledge to be embarrassed by them. Simply reporting what Trump says and does lets Trump do all the smearing and undermining himself.
“..it would say something fairly dire about Trump’s inability to hire appropriate people.”
Anyone willing to work for Trump is already “inappropriate.” Or, only appropriate to the extent that they all deserve each other.
Bruce,
Exactly. There are leaks from the White House, absolutely. But they’re of the nature you would expect from people who are trying to be loyal to Trump while also protecting themselves: it’s a lot of “sure, he tweets some things we wish he hadn’t, but you should see all the stuff we STOP him from tweeting!” or “yeah, he said that, because [Bannon/Priebus/Ivanka/Jared/whoever my rivals are] planted that idea.”
And as to that second kind of leak — one faction pissing on another — it should be noted that Trump apparently has always encouraged such infighting in his organization. He likes his staff scrapping with each other; I’m not sure if he thinks it brings out the best, or if he just enjoys the reality-show drama of it.
#2 Dodgy Geezer
Bear in mind that his staff are only “frantic to smear and undermine Trump (and the rest)” off record, because otherwise they’d be fired. When speaking openly and publicly as a White House spokesperson, they toe the line and lie for him.
Since this was said by someone in their capacity as a White House spokesperson, and given that the cheque was only sent immediately following this public outing, there is no guarantee (to put it mildly) that the statement is true.