Stephen Miller Says
Trump is 'the Real Whistleblower' and
Complains About 'Hyperpartisan Hit Job'
White House policy adviser Stephen Miller appeared on "Fox News Sunday" and engaged in a contentious interview with the network's Chris Wallace.
Miller sought to alter the media narrative about the controversy surrounding Trump's call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by characterizing the impeachment effort as a "hyperpartisan hit-job" and calling the whistleblower's memo on the call a "Nancy Drew novel."
“The president of the United States is the whistleblower and this individual is a saboteur trying to undermine a democratically elected government,” Miller said, during a contentious interview on “Fox News Sunday.”Miller said that the whistleblower complaint “drips with condemnation, condescension and contempt for the president” and claimed that the intelligence community’s Inspector General had found evidence of political bias in the complaint.
It should be noted that the Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified before Congress that he believed both the whistleblower and the IG were acting in good faith. Miller accused both of being members of the "deep state."
Miller also bucked when host Chris Wallace countered that the IG had found the report “credible and a matter of urgent concern."
“They’re wrong,” Miller said.“I know what the deep state looks like. I know the difference between a whistleblower and a deep state operative.”
Miller carefully laid out the talking points that the White House wants right-wing media to use this week.
“A group of unelected bureaucrats who think that they need to take down this president ... publish hit pieces, they publish fake stories” the White House adviser added.Wallace also pressed Miller on reports that Trump went against recommendations from the Pentagon and State Department and temporarily froze hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine.And Miller continued his assault against the whistleblower, dismissing the person as a “saboteur trying to undermine a democratically elected government.”When Wallace asked if the individual was a spy, Miller said, “I don’t know who the individual is.”
To my mind, it isn't a question whether Trump was putting pressure on Ukraine to get dirt on Joe Biden and his son. He was. The question must now be, is that an impeachable offense? To believe that other presidents haven't offered a quid pro quo on some issue or another to a foreign leader is ludicrous. Of course they have. But did the U.S. really withhold aide from Ukraine to put pressure on them? To date, no evidence of that has emerged.
Because it's not a close call at this point, an impeachment inquiry is probably unnecessary. And the president's guilt or innocence isn't possible to determine either. The Democrats have allowed their hysterical hatred of Trump to finally go off the rails and set them on a path that could tear the country apart.
And Miller is spouting talking points. They all can't be members of the "deep state." There are thousands of dedicated professionals in our intelligence agencies who are able to bury their political leanings and serve the nation honorably and truthfully. Is the whistleblower one of them? We don't know.
There are real questions here that need answering and regardless of whether you're a hyperpartisan Trump supporter or not, the answers will determine Trump's fate.