Opinion: Our president is a liar

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Tuesday, March 21, 2017 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( He lies the way no American politician has lied before. The occasional untruths that other recent presidents have spoken — often unwittingly — do not compare with the frequency, intensity and deliberateness with which Donald Trump offers falsehoods. Monday brought the remarkable spectacle of the director of the F.B.I., James Comey, calling out the president of the United States for being untruthful. Even more remarkable, Comey acknowledged that the F.B.I. was investigating possible collusion between Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government. [My column]( is about the spectacle and what comes next. I also recommend [a Lawfare piece]( by Benjamin Wittes, who had written [a preview]( of Monday’s hearing in which he argued that the less forthcoming Comey was, the worse of a sign it would be for Trump. Wittes’s verdict: “Today was a bad day for President Trump. Really bad.” The F.B.I. hearing was so big that it crowded out attention that normally would have gone to Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing. To catch up, try [Dahlia Lithwick]( [Adam Liptak]( and [Scotusblog](. The full Opinion report from The Times follows, including Mimi Swartz on George W. Bush [the portrait artist]( David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist Editorial [Comey’s Haunting News on Trump and Russia]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD The F.B.I. chief’s disclosure of an inquiry into possible election collusion makes a special prosecutor and a select congressional committee crucial. Editorial [Neil Gorsuch Faces the Senate]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Here’s a good question for Judge Gorsuch: Why are you here? There’s only one honest answer: “I shouldn’t be.” Op-Ed Columnist [All the President’s Lies]( By DAVID LEONHARDT The untruths about Russia are escalating. ADVERTISEMENT Op-Ed Columnist [The Unifying American Story]( By DAVID BROOKS The Exodus tale as a national creed. Op-Ed Contributor [How Trump Can Fix Health Care]( By BENJAMIN DOMENECH The House G.O.P. plan to replace Obamacare has won few fans on the right or left. Here’s a proposal to unite them: catastrophic coverage for all. Editorial [U.N. Accepts Blame but Dodges the Bill in Haiti]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD It caused a cholera epidemic, but there’s no money behind its promises to eradicate the disease. [George W. Bush’s portraits of Sgts. Daniel Casara, left, and Leslie Zimmerman in “Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors.”]( George W. Bush’s portraits of Sgts. Daniel Casara, left, and Leslie Zimmerman in “Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors.” President George W. Bush [Contributing Op-Ed Writer]( [‘W.’ and the Art of Redemption]( By MIMI SWARTZ Painting gave George Bush a deeper view of things. And me of him. Op-Ed Contributor [Derek Walcott and the Poetry of Liberalism]( By ADAM KIRSCH His literary freedom resonated with our tradition of political liberty. Fixes [Bonds That Combat the Isolation of Military Life]( By DAVID BORNSTEIN In an era when the military is all-volunteer, building communities helps warriors and their families bear all of the domestic hardships. Vietnam ‘67 [A Frontline Nurse for the Vietcong]( As told to TONG THI XUYEN As a young woman, Nguyen Thi Do saw the horrors of war up close. ADVERTISEMENT ON THE GROUND | NICHOLAS KRISTOF [A NASA Scientist Has Been Imprisoned in Turkey for 8 Months]( By LAUREN BOHN AND TUGBA TEKEREK A three-month investigation suggests the injustice surrounding Serkan Golge’s case. THE CONSCIENCE OF A LIBERAL | PAUL KRUGMAN [Robot Geometry (Very Wonkish)]( By PAUL KRUGMAN Give that old-time trade theory. Letters [The Inquiry Into the Collusion and Spying Claims]( Readers discuss testimony about possible Russian influence in the election and U.S. relations with Germany and Britain. SIGN UP FOR THE VIETNAM ’67 NEWSLETTER Examining America’s long war in Southeast Asia [through the course]( of a single year. FOLLOW OPINION [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytopinion]( [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »](  | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018