David Simon Has Best Twitter Thread On Trump's Guilt After Comey Hearing

[ehrnst]

"Here's veteran Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon, more famously known for being the creative force behind HBO's The Wire, along with writing Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.

Long story short, Simon knows his shit, and his insights on the Comey hearing are worth reading.

"Note what isn't discussed between Trump and Comey. At no point does Trump make any concerted effort to discern whether or not Russia did in fact attempt to interfere in the election. Indeed, he notes that the claim has created a cloud over his governance -- so he can scarcely say that it isn't of real concern to him; his concern is premised in this meeting. Yet, he doesn't inquire as to what Comey and the FBI is yet discerning about Russia's role.

He doesn't even do so as a means of disparaging the claim. (i.e. "I'm sure you're finding out that there's nothing to the claims of Russian interference, right?" It. Doesn't. Come. Up.

In this regard, I am reminded of every innocent and guilty man I ever witnessed in an interrogation room. The innocent ask a multitude of questions about what the detectives know, or why the cops might think X or Y or whether Z happened to the victim. The guilty forget to inquire. They know.

An old law school saw tells young trial lawyers to remind their clients to stay curious in front of a jury. There's a famous tale of a murder case in which the body of the defendant's wife had not been recovered yet he was charged with the killing. Defense attorney tells the jury in final argument there's been no crime and the supposed victim will walk through the courtroom doors in 10 seconds. 30 seconds later the door remains shut. "Ok, she isn't coming today. But the point is all of you on jury looked, and that my friends is reasonable doubt. You must acquit." Jury comes back in twenty minutes: Guilty. Attorney goes to the foreman: "I thought I had you." Foreman: "You had me and ten others. But juror number 8 didn't look at the door, he looked at your client. And he didn't eye the door, he was examining his nails.

Even when he was completely alone with Comey, Trump didn't look at the door. He eyed his nails. It's an absolute tell. Why? Because Trump already knows that there is some fixed amount of Russian interference on his behalf, and possibly, collusion as well."

https://thedailybanter.com/2017/06/donald-trump-guilty-russia-james-comey-david-simon/

[Achilleaze]

1. k & r

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Yup. My theory, too.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1016&pid=186916

Trump didn't look at the door.

[malaise]

3. Yep

This deserves to be seen

Rec

[Ilsa]

4. "The guilty forget to inquire. They know." And

Dolt 45 knows, and is too arrogant to bother pretending.

[Nitram]

5. Excellent anecdote. Brilliant metaphor.

[KeepItReal]

6. K&R

This is required reading.

[mountain grammy]

7. K&R

[zentrum]

8. Fascinating. But I wonder

.....how and why not looking at the door and instead looking at his nails is a tell of guilt?

I seems to me you might just as likely glance at the door if you were guilty.

[tblue37]

9. Yes, but you wouldn't fail to look at the door if you were innocent. nt

[zentrum]

12. Really?

If you were guilty wouldn't you keep checking the door to make sure no one came in and overheard you? Wouldn't you also want the hell out of the room?

Why would you look at the door if innocent?

[tblue37]

14. The guilty person was the defendant in the murder trial. He didn't look at

the door to see if his supposedly dead wife would walk through because he knew she couldn't, because having murdered her, he knew for a fact she was dead.

If he were innocent, he WOULD look at the door, hoping that in fact she really was still alive and that his nightmare of being an innocent man on trial for her murder would be over at last.

[malaise]

16. Precisely

It's clear as a cloudless day

[Brother Buzz]

21. Only Erle Stanley Gardner could have explained it better

[malaise]

23. LOL

I concede

[zentrum]

17. Okay. I read you.

The content of "conspiracy cabal" vs. "already dead murder victim" makes it a little different, but point taken.

[anneboleyn]

22. Yep, consciousness of guilt. I remember when Scott Peterson sold Laci's car and other things

before her body was discovered. It was a definite sign of guilt as she hadn't been declared dead, and her friends and family were still hoping she was alive. Scott knew better and couldn't hide it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson

[iluvtennis]

28. Yes, indeedy. Followed that case all the way to his conviction and sentencing.

[tblue37]

15. Overheard what? It was at the murder trial. (I imagine this is actually an urban legend,

but the point the story makes is still valid.)

[calimary]

24. Yes. Because the implication is - the accused doesn't look at the door because he

evidently knows there's no reason to do so. He KNOWS she isn't coming. And he knows why.

[NNadir]

10. That's an interesting take that had not occurred to me. Thanks for sharing it. n/t

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. Fascinating OP. Bookmarked. Republican stupid minority President Trump is going down.

The most "telling" information I read always points to his guilt. An exculpatory stuff is vaguer.

[malaise]

13. Very deep

Groper Don the Con is guilty.

[nolabear]

18. Chris Hayes mentioned this with some conviction the other day.

And I agree!

[spiderpig]

19. Agree - thanks for posting

I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunity to repeat the courtroom story to our friends! (Already have, actually...)

[anneboleyn]

20. It's called "consciousness of guilt" and I've been thinking it's the most obvious sign Trump is

guilty. He never asks details, and he STILL BLATANTLY FAVORS the Russians. It is so painfully obvious.

[calimary]

25. Besides that, if he were innocent, he'd be out with his tax returns, he'd be tweeting about

how we need to get to the bottom of this Russian invasion, he'd be out there loud 'n' proud in front of every camera and microphone. He'd be making tons of noise about it. And we all know that's his nature anyway - to make lots of noise about himself. Hasn't brought this up, once!

And who would be trying so hard to suppress or obstruct an investigation into this if he didn't want certain unfavorable truths to come out? If he's got nothing to hide, and he's done nothing wrong, he should be proud to be able to prove it, and he should be anxious to do so.

[Ohioboy]

26. I think this is very telling.

I thought the same thing when Comey was asked about whether or not Trump ever asked him about what the FBI was finding in the Russia investigation. I don't remember who asked, but it was during the hearing last week. Comey's answer was that Trump never asked him what they(the FBI) were finding.

K&R

[rhiannon55]

27. This is important information

From a criminal justice expert and needs to be shared widely.

I wish my brainwashed brother and his family would read it, but I don't think they would because, alternate universe.

[bora13]

30. that's right.

another case of many of willful ignorance.

a distant relative of when one passes a panhandler on the street and says I have no money to give you.

[Lucinda]

29. KNR

[stuffmatters]

31. !

[Stuart G]

32. k and r...outstanding....

[Demsrule86]

33. K&R...great analogy...and I thought about that too...

wouldn't you be curious to know what the FBI found out about Russia...or are you afraid to ask Trumpie? Of course, you know the truth...since you and yours colluded.

[niyad]

34. k and r

[MrPurple]

35. The Wire, Generation Kill - Fantastically written, capture realities that aren't usually portrayed

He covered an urban crime beat for many years and he's spot on with this observation.

[L. Coyote]

36. What a neoliberal shill. Doesn't he know Clinton sent e-mails?

Great ending.

[MrPurple]

37. At lest you said that more coherently than John McCain...

[L. Coyote]

38. LOL