Truth vs. Theory

Both words begin with T,  and I fear that far too many confuse the two.  Politicians and the media seem far too often to think that their Theories – what they wish were true – are indeed the Truth.  Or, at least they would like us all to believe that is so.

Let’s just look at the Comey firing for a demonstration of this.  The Truth is fairly simple and straightforward, yet the Theories abound.   The Truth (the proven facts) show:  President Trump fired FBI Director Comey by sending a termination letter to his office while Comey was out of town.  Prior to the firing Trump had asked the Justice department for its assessment of Comey.  Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein wrote a letter that well lays out the justification for firing of Comey.  Many Democrats, up until the time of Comey’s firing, called for the removal of Comey and asserted his ineffectiveness and worse.  President Trump has stated he had decided to fire Comey regardless of the recommendation of the Attorney General or Deputy Attorney General. 

Beyond these facts, there are some additional facts that may be related to or explanatory of the underlying reasons for the firing.  These include that over the past year and a half Comey has struggled with a difficult and political situation.  He has made some decisions/taken some actions that were improper and beyond his authority, the most notable being that he overstepped and announced his decision that Hillary should not be prosecuted.  His justification seems to be that he had to do that because of Bill Clinton’s secret meeting with the then Attorney General.  Whether one agrees or disagrees with that decision, and regardless of his justification for it, it was a prosecutorial decision that was outside the scope of Comey’s authority.  Since then he has made other decisions, taken other actions that are arguably not his to make.  After his most recent testimony, the FBI had to send to Congress corrections for Comey’s misstatements.  

It is also a fact that the President has the power to fire the FBI director and that President Trump exercised that power.  He did so shortly after more testimony about the Russian investigations (the testimony in which Comey made erroneous statements requiring correction).  We also know that the Russian investigation continues, that the acting FBI director has stated his commitment to provide all the necessary resources for that investigation.  

In general we know that President Trump tends to be a man of action rather than words; that is, when he decides to do something he does it rather than agonize and form committees to discuss it.  We know that Trump stated that at a dinner with Comey he asked if he personally was under investigation and was assured he was not, that there is another version of that conversation that asserts that Comey was asked for a loyalty pledge to the President, and, the President has implied that there are tapes that would disprove that allegation.  We also know that the President has stated his intent to quickly replace Comey with a well qualified individual and that interviews for that replacement have already begun. 

The Theories drawn from this Truth, from the above fairly straightforward facts, are many, complicated, and clearly supportive of agendas that go well beyond any interest in the Comey firing.  There is the theory that Trump has done this to stop the Russian investigation; that he has done it because of Comey’s failure to swear to a loyalty test; that this situation is worse than Watergate; that this proves the need of a special prosecutor; that it proves that Trump is unstable, mentally unfit, or simply a demagogue; that this demands impeachment; that we are full in the middle of a constitutional crisis; etc.; etc.   Those who dislike Trump, because of his policies and/or because he does not act like the typical politician, are proclaiming as fact the conclusions to which they wish the facts would lead, the conclusions that would allow them to rid themselves of President Trump.  Yet, those proclamations are not fact, not Truth; they are Theory based on wishful thinking, on conclusions that might be possible if there were indeed facts to support them. 

Let’s look again at the facts.  There is no Constitutional Crisis.  The president has the Constitutional authority to fire the director of the FBI and the president did so.  The Russian investigation that was under the direction of that FBI director continues:  the FBI is fully functional.  Senate hearings are ongoing and continue:  Congress is functioning.  There is a process for requesting the production of any tapes that might exist.  The judiciary is capable of enforcing any such legitimate requests.  The government continues as intended under the Constitution.  If any investigations were to turn up some actual facts supportive of the many theories being thrown about, the Constitution provides ways to handle that as well as remedies for wrongs. 

There is no Constitutional Crisis.  Nor is there any evidence of any of the other Theories that are being thrown about in the latest anti-Trump hysteria.  One may not like the manner in which Comey was fired, but that does not make it some sort of evidence of evil action by some autocratic leader.  And, it does not make the firing itself a bad decision (indeed, it is the decision that many politicians on both sides of the aisle have essentially been calling for in the months, days, hours preceding the actual firing). 

Creating Theories with no factual basis is not far removed from playground name-calling.  So, everybody, let’s just calm down and use another T word:  THINK.  Stop making up stories to suit your narrative.  Recognize that Theory is not Truth.  Put the hatred and emotion aside and calmly assess reality – the Truth as it is, not as you would like it to be.  Go ahead and dislike the facts – dislike that Comey was fired; dislike that Trump is president – but don’t try to change this reality with unfounded theories and name-calling that tear our democracy apart.  Reflect upon what is Truth and what is self-serving Theory and, if you are unhappy with the situation Think about ways to actually make it better, understanding that none of those ways include name-calling, hatred, hyperbole, manufacturing facts, or asserting unfounded Theory to be Truth.  Name-calling accomplishes little; separating Truth from Theory (fact from fiction) and the Thinking that such separation requires accomplishes much.