The Atlantic

The Trump Family's Explanations Are Straining Credulity to Its Breaking Point

The story that Donald Trump Jr., his father, and their aides told about a June 9 meeting with a Russian lawyer made little sense—even before the latest revelations.
Source: Mark Kauzlarich / Reuters

As an American statesman once said, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice—can’t get fooled again.” The Trump family has little love lost with the Bush family, but the president, his son, and their aides and legal team would do well to heed the 43rd president’s mangled maxim, as they continue to offer an increasingly implausible story to the public about a meeting involving a Russian lawyer, Donald Trump Jr., and his brother-in-law, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.

The account that the Trumps are offering is implausible on three counts. First, it is challenging to believe on its face, , that Trump Sr. would never have been told about the meeting. Second, the continued flow of new revelations itself suggests that whatever story the principals are peddling should be considered incomplete by default. Finally, the specifics of the string of new revelations about who attended the meeting and when it came

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