A lot on the table to discuss on air today, beginning with the John Bolton manuscript. The timing is weird (the publisher launched the Amazon page as the allegation hit the press); the stories are inconsistent (Bolton’s reps say he didn’t share the manuscript with anyone outside of NSC, the New York Times says otherwise); allegations that the person responsible for reviewing the manuscript for the NSC was none other than the brother of infamous Lt. Col. Vindman whose allegation against POTUS kicked off this whole thing; and of course we have to consider the NYT and Washington Post‘s history of having to walk back previous “bombshells.” Democrats have desperately searched for a magical way to force Republicans in the Senate to allow witness testimony that Democrats failed to capture in the House and their dare is to claim Republicans are scared of what Bolton might say — which is silly because everything he could say is already in the manuscript. I think Democrats, more than Republicans, are afraid of Bolton testifying. As with previous “bombshells” of this nature, we need to be cautious. I’ll dive into this on radio this afternoon.
Also — the tragic story of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and his daughter’s teammates and their parents on that doomed helicopter when it crashed into a Calabasas hillside. Bryant was a devoted husband and father who reportedly poured everything into his kids. I cannot imagine the pain of his wife as she has to now bury a daughter and a husband while still mothering her surviving children and grieving in the national spotlight. There were several reporters yesterday in artfully sharing the past accusation of rape and the felony charge that was dropped in the case against him that was dismissed. Bryant said the incident was consensual and apologized to all involved, especially his wife, who reportedly shunned media attention with the exception of Bryant’s famous public apology to her in front the press. What is missing in all of this, and what a friend reminded me of earlier, is the story of Bryant’s redemption. Bryant’s fall from grace reportedly brought him closer to God, his wife, his family. After the public spectacle, it seemed that he didn’t put a foot wrong. It’s unfortunate that in death, some refuse to memorialize him without reminding him of his errors but ignoring his redemption. If you’re going to do one, do the other, if it’s about the “full picture,” as I’ve seen some claim. More on this on today’s show.
