He knew from the start.

Ever since Donald Trump popped up with a tweet on Saturday admitting that he knew that Michael Flynn had lied to the FBI way back at the time Flynn was dismissed, there’s been a contest between “Ah ha!” and “Uhhh.”

Ah ha! So Trump knew that Flynn had lied from the beginning, meaning that he not only misrepresented the situation to the public, but was himself guilty of obstruction when he attempted to get James Comey to drop any investigation into Flynn.

Uhhh ... Trump didn’t really write that. It was, um, Trump’s attorney! It was John Dowd, who—previously unknown to anyone on Earth—has the ability to transmit statements in the name of Trump.

Ah ha! That still means that Trump still knew, because Dowd is his personal lawyer.

Uhhh ... See, the attorney just made a mistake. Dowd didn’t mean Trump knew in January. Just that he knows now.

Except …. The whole thing is ridiculous, because it’s increasingly, obviously, blindingly clear that Trump knew from the start.

The White House's chief lawyer told President Donald Trump in January he believed then-national security adviser Michael Flynn had misled the FBI and lied to Vice President Mike Pence and should be fired, a source familiar with the matter said Monday.

Which means that every single statement that Donald Trump made about James Comey after that date is bound to appear as part of an obstruction charge.