Much was made in today's hearings about the possibility that Trump, like Nixon before him, had his office bugged so there are recordings of his conversations with James Comey. Trump tweeted the above not long ago in what looked like an attempt to intimidate Comey into shutting up.
I like one thing about that tweet. I like that Trump put the word "tapes" in quotes like I just did. I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt and praise him for reminding us that if there are recordings, they probably aren't tape recordings. That technology is as obsolete as presidential decorum. They'd be digital recordings. We should remember that and also that digital recordings are not only easier to store than tapes, they're also easier to edit, doctor or delete.
Which brings me to my main point: Isn't it kinda obvious that Trump has no such recordings? He'd know if there were any and he didn't say he had them.
And yes, I agree: This man can be quite illogical at times, even to the point of self-inflicting serious wounds on his integrity and the chances of passing legislation he desperately wants passed. But he's also paranoid about the world finding out too much about himself and his businesses. He would think, "Hey, even a sly guy like Nixon couldn't prevent his tapes from becoming public, warts and all."
Nixon was damaged by the revelations from his tapes that he'd conspired to obstruct justice. He was also humiliated by the language on the tapes and his anti-Semitic ramblings. Would any Trump supporter like to wager that Trump hasn't said things in the White House he would not like to have posted for all to hear on YouTube? It would be like that Access Hollywood video times a thousand.
Anyway, if he did have recordings of Comey there would be two possibilities: The recordings exonerate Trump or they condemn him. Since his staff has recently been busy spreading the premise that James Comey is a no-good filthy liar and Trump clearly is desperate to convince America of that, he's not sitting on incontrovertible evidence that Comey is just that. He's not waiting until his approval rating slips four more points and Republicans in Congress start deserting him or at least distancing themselves from him. He'd have that audio out and everywhere faster than you could say, "H.R. Haldeman."
Trump's lawyer is out there right this minute saying that certain things Comey said were said weren't said…like Trump's demands of loyalty. Even Trump backers are going to demand that Trump produce his "tapes" and prove that Comey should be prosecuted for lying to Congress. Trump will either have to release them or he'll have to say, "I never said there were any recordings. I don't know of any." Right?