Attorney for President Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani is incurring a lot of criticism using the phrase “the truth isn’t the truth” when a guest of NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press.”
Watch:
WATCH: Rudy Giuliani tells Chuck Todd that he doesn’t want President Trump to be caught in a perjury trap by speaking with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. #MTP #IfItsSunday
Giuliani: “Truth isn’t truth" pic.twitter.com/U5uErcLIJn
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 19, 2018
Here is the transcript of the exchange:
JUST NOW on @MeetThePress:
Rudy Giuliani tells @ChuckTodd, "Truth isn't truth." #MTP pic.twitter.com/wDK878odPp
— NBC News PR (@NBCNewsPR) August 19, 2018
And as Todd predicted, it did become a bad meme when the Left pounced immediately.
Stop what you’re doing and watch Rudy Giuliani tell Chuck Todd, “Truth isn’t truth”. And watch Chuck Todd’s reaction.
“Only the best people,” right, @realDonaldTrump?pic.twitter.com/I0udDUlvfa
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) August 19, 2018
Today, Giuliani added to Orwell’s liturgy:
War is Peace.
Slavery is Freedom.
Ignorance is Strength.
Truth isn’t Truth. https://t.co/3M0q3Unlmp
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) August 19, 2018
The statement by Rudy Giuliani that "truth isn't truth" is another step towards authoritarianism. It also reminds us of Nixon's defense that "when the president does it, that means it is not illegal."
Does this make you angry? Scared? If so, vote this Nov & get others to vote. https://t.co/gz9ixcYxVC
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) August 19, 2018
Recommended
Rudy Giuliani: “Truth isn’t truth.” Try that one with a jury. https://t.co/LEexBm5YEw
— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) August 19, 2018
In analyzing Giuliani’s comments, his point is a valid one about two separate pieces of testimony not agreeing with each other. One of them is true, and the other one is not. Todd conceded that he was correct about that later in the interview.
The problem is that Giuliani’s phrasing was not crisp, and it is very difficult to recover from saying “the truth isn’t the truth” on a cable news program.