After boasting on Fox News that he had helped sanitize Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban” (that Trump insisted was not a Muslim ban) into something that didn’t look like a Muslim ban, Rudy Giuliani now wants us all to think he didn’t say what we heard him say.
On Saturday night, Rudy Giuliani was so eager to crow about his role in crafting Donald Trump’s executive order barring refugees and citizens of seven Muslim countries that he told Fox News host Jeanine Pirro the following:
GIULIANI: I’ll tell you the whole history of it! So, when he [Trump] first announced it, he said, “Muslim ban.” He called me up. He said, “Put a commission together. Show me the right way to do it legally.” I put a commission together with Judge Mukasey with Congressman McCaul, Pete King. Whole group of other very expert lawyers on this. And what we did was, we focused on, instead of religion, danger! The areas of the world that create danger for us - which is a factual basis not a religious basis. Perfectly legal. Perfectly sensible. And that’s what the ban is based on. It’s not based on religion. It’s based on places where there are substantial evidence that people are sending terrorists into our country.
Not surprisingly, Pirro didn’t question a word or ask for more information. But after other media outlets took big notice of Giuliani’s comments, he had his spokesman issue this ridiculous statement:
“Last night, Mayor Giuliani clearly stated several times that the basis for the more extreme vetting was danger NOT religion.
However several media outlets have dishonestly mischaracterized this as a ban on all Muslims which it was not. This is easily provable since it does not apply to the overwhelming majority of Muslims.”
But here’s the problem, Giuliani said Trump called it a “Muslim ban” that he wanted done “legally” - and which Giuliani bragged he had done. Yes, the order was eventually based on “danger.” But according to Giuliani, Trump’s intent was to ban Muslims. It’s possible Giuliani misunderstood Trump’s intent but if so, it only shows he saw the plan the way we critics do – as a vehicle to ban Muslims – and does not do much to help Trump look less like a bigoted white nationalist. It’s also quite possible Trump had asked for a Muslim ban and Giuliani is trying to cover that up now.
In other words, the beans cannot be un-spilled in any way that makes either Giuliani or Trump look good.
By the way, Rep. King says Giuliani got it wrong and was not involved in crafting the order.
Watch Giuliani above, from the January 28, 2017 Justice with Judge Jeanine.
Crossposted at News Hounds.
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