In a previous post, I confessed my addiction to Judge Judy.  At that time, I focused on her platitude, “If it doesn’t make sense, it probably isn’t true,” in reference to Comrade Trump’s comical explanation of why he views Andrew Jackson as his role model for the presidency.  This weekend’s antics of the “gang that couldn’t shoot straight” reminded me of a second Judge Judy saying which explains the head-shaking by Trump friends and foes alike.

When you are telling the truth, you don’t need to have a good memory.

What Judge Judy means is when you are are honest about an event or situation, you need not be concerned all involved parties coordinate their stories or what was said in the past.  For several months, the three parties–Donald Trump, Jr.,  son-in-law Jared Kushner and the Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort–in attendance at the now confirmed June 9, 2016 meeting with Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya seemed to be in sync.  By lying about it.  Kushner did not include the meeting on his national security clearance application nor, in Manafort’s case, his retroactive registration as a foreign agent.

Public awareness of the meeting resulted from Jared Kushner amending his security clearance application although, at the time, no information was provided about the purpose of the meeting.  Now the members of this unholy trinity need to coordinate a new story.  There’s just one problem.  Trump, Jr. seems to be incapable of telling his own version of the events the same way  twice.  On Saturday, the younger Trump issued the following statement.

It was a short introductory meeting. I asked Jared and Paul to stop by. We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at the time and there was no follow up.

By Sunday evening, Trump, Jr.’s own version had changed when he presented the New York Times, which broke the story, with the following.

After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Mrs. Clinton. Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.

This morning there has been considerable speculation the White House, knowing the Saturday version lacked credibility, forced the younger Trump to issue the revised statement.  If that is the case, the pretender-in-chief, who demands loyalty of everyone in his circle, appears to have no qualms about throwing his own son under the bus to save himself.  Forget being unfit to be commander-in-chief.  This would be just one more instance of his demonstrating he is a despicable human being.  (NOTE:  Ironically, my wife and I had just watched an episode of Longmire on Netflix  in which a father falsely confesses to a murder to protect his guilty son.  I guess Comrade Trump missed that episode.)

And of course, Comrade Trump has resorted to imitating Sergeant Schultz from Hogan’s Heroes.  “I see nothing.  I hear nothing. I know nothing.”  On Sunday, a spokesman for the senior Trump’s lawyer said, “The president was not aware of and did not attend the meeting.”

Here’s the problem.  The meeting with Veselnitskaya on June 9 took place in Trump Tower.  That day Donald J. Trump was also in Trump Tower.  And his calendar includes a meeting with Paul Manafort.  So, maybe it all comes down to the meaning of what “was” was.  Did Trump’s lawyer mean his client was not aware of the meeting until it appeared on Kushner’s revised security clearance form?  Or until the story broke in Saturday’s New York Times?  Or, to be technically correct, is Trump’s legal team stating he was not aware of the meeting at the time it occurred?

This morning, MSNBC legal analyst Matthew Miller, when asked if Donald Trump, Jr. confessed to a crime in his second statement to the New York Times, suggested special counsel Robert Mueller needs to make that determination.  And that will occur when the attendees are brought before a grand jury and required to testify honestly or face perjury charges.

At that point, coordinating stories makes no difference.  And it no longer matters whether Trump, Jr., Kushner and Manafort can remember what they or anyone else said previously.  And by the way, if you believe the senior Trump and Manafort did not discuss the Veselnitskaya encounter during their  one-on-one June 9, 2017 meeting, I’ve got a bankrupt Trump property in Dubai I’d like to sell you.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP