A CBC Editorial: Monday, Jan. 30, 2017; Editorial# 8117

​The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company

It is not OK to have a president who barely has a casual relationship with the truth.

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In the first week of his presidency, Donald Trump, or those who speak for him, have lied about:

The size of the crowd at his inauguration (and he even pressured the National Park Service to lie, too).

The reason he didn’t win the national popular vote (“millions of illegals voting).

The reason the meeting with Mexico’s president was cancelled (it was because the Mexican president refused to come to the U.S., it was NOT by mutual agreement).

Getting the biggest standing ovation at the CIA since Peyton Manning won the Super Bowl.

That he didn’t have a feud with the national intelligence community; he did, big time.

Receiving awards for protecting the environment.

The Keystone pipeline creating “a lot of jobs, 28,000 jobs.” Estimates by those involved with the project say it would be 16,000 tops.

The murder rate in Philadelphia increasing. Actually, it’s declined significantly.

The fact (not to be confused with “alternative facts”) that presidential truthfulness is even being talked about, let alone a point of very grave concern, after the first week of a presidency is troubling.

Americans deserve a president we can trust to provide us with the truth – no matter how big or small.

There seems to be little concern among those close to Trump or from his Republican allies in Congress.

Worst of all, his closest aides, particularly Stephen Bannon, Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer – are the president’s primary enablers.

It is hard to fathom that they might share his warped view of reality. Perhaps they see it as a mere inconvenience and small concession for having a president who will rubber-stamp their judicial picks, pet projects and ideological missions as well as join in attacking their favorite targets.

Lying from the Oval Office carries far graver consequences than fibs from the penthouse at Trump Towers.

Presidential lies aren’t trivial quibbles over the size of the crowd at an event or how many votes won in an election. Imagined, or hoped-for facts cannot become the basis for policies and laws that have consequences beyond the stage-managed world of reality TV.

The lies and exaggerations are about which American citizens will be able to vote and what kinds of impediments will be placed in their way.

They are about whether American citizens who happen to be Muslim can come back into the United States after they travel abroad.

They are about life-and-death: which refugees will find safety when they flee their war-torn homes; which of our nation’s allies the U.S. will defend against foreign aggression and our nation’s armed service personnel will legitimately put into situations by a Commander and Chief who may require the ultimate sacrifice.

There can be disagreement – even big and divisive – over policies and programs.

Failure to deal with the truth leads to tyranny. It’s no late-night show punch line, it’s not hyperbole.