Some people
in Congress and in the media had the temerity to suggest that it might be an
invitation to a hostile foreign power to interfere in the 2016 election to implore,
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that
are missing.” The president defended
himself by explaining that he said it as a joke. “Of course I was being
sarcastic.” (Interview on Fox and Friends.); "[I]n jest and sarcastically,
as was apparent to any objective observer." (Written answers to Mueller
questions.) At a campaign rally he made
fun of the media for not realizing, that it was all a joke.
In a post of
June 9 this year, I examined Trump’s defense and the “in jest” defense to
solicitation charges more generally. I was skeptical. Subsequent developments,
including the recent dramatic developments seem to confirm that skepticism was
not amiss.
