The Big Liar returns
He鈥檚 the Energizer Bunny of one term, twice-impeached presidents.
He just keeps lying and lying and lying.
Civilian Donald John Trump had hidden behind Fox News long enough.
It was time for him to find a field in Wellington, Ohio, and hold forth with his usual outrageousness 鈥� aimed with precision at anybody who ever tried to convince the world that 鈥淭he Big Lie,鈥� is, in fact, a 鈥淏ig Lie.鈥�
There were two things most notable about his Ohio rally.
First, no major network bothered to cover it live 鈥� including Fox News. And second, the last time he held a rally (on Jan. 6), he nearly caused an overthrow of the entire U.S. government.
From all I鈥檝e been able to discern, he went there prepared with his usual bad temperament on full display.
鈥淲hat happened in the election was a disgrace,鈥� he told his flock.
That flock, as you may have predicted, roared its approval.
鈥淲e won the election in 2020,鈥� he announced as if he鈥檇 read the election results upside down.
Then there was this blasted pandemic that had become the Democrats鈥� secret plan to forcibly take over the country: 鈥淭hey used COVID to rig the election; to steal the election.鈥�
My, heavens, he tells some big whoppers.
Let鈥檚 face it, hardly anybody but him, and his rightwing news gatherers are still hanging onto the foolish hope that simple math went on holiday last Nov. 3. (And it still hasn鈥檛 returned.)
His rally was Saturday, June 26. Mr. Trump had hardly had enough time to break his arm patting himself on the back when Sunday morning rolled around 鈥� and prevented him from being forced to walk around in a sling.
An ABC reporter, Jon Karl, published the results of an extensive interview he did with Trump鈥檚 attorney general, William Barr.
While Barr had been a loyal Trump supporter leading up to the 2020 presidential election, he wasn鈥檛 nearly as enthralled with him after it.
鈥淗e had expected Trump to lose and therefore was not surprised by the outcome,鈥� Karl wrote.
And when Trump tried to enlist Barr in the ridiculous hunt for fraudulent votes, he simply said, among other things, 鈥淚t was all BS.鈥�
The article went on to indicate that there was increasing friction between Barr and Trump over the continued attempts to find fraudulent votes.
And that Barr simply called the people who were running all over the country trying to figure out a way to help Trump win a 鈥渃lown show.鈥�
Imagine that?
By now, I鈥檓 thinking you probably don鈥檛 believe Donald Trump is the real president?
I have to check now and then.
You never know.
Well, there have been so many lawsuits and legal maneuvers designed to get Trump back into the White House, they鈥檝e devoted an entire Wikipedia page to it. 鈥淧ost-election lawsuits related to the 2020 United States presidential election鈥� chronicles the 80-plus lawsuits that have been filed on Trump鈥檚 behalf.
None has been successful.
Even in states where there have been self-appointed investigations into possible fraudulent voting, nothing of any value has been produced.
On June 23, the Republican chairman of a post-election committee in the state of Michigan, Sen. Ed McBroom, wrote, 鈥淭he Committee found no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud in Michigan鈥檚 prosecution of the 2020 election.鈥�
He was head of a committee that took a long look at numerous claims of voting improprieties.
That鈥檚 after Joe Biden had won Michigan by 154,000 votes. And there had been several previous court rulings and audits that had been conducted by the state鈥檚 secretary of state.
That doesn鈥檛 matter to Trump and his followers.
Trump will lie, and they鈥檒l swear to it, over and over again.
The reception to that deception has become so outrageous, that, according to a new Morning Consult poll, more Republicans believe that Joe Biden was responsible for the events of Jan. 6 (41%) than did Trump (30%).
I can鈥檛 think of how Joe Biden had more to do with the insurrection than Trump did.
Can you?
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.