Giuliani Follows Up on His 'Truth Isn't Truth' Line

Rudy Giuliani uttered a memorable line in defense of President Trump on Sunday when he declared that "truth isn't truth." Not surprisingly, it kicked up quite a reaction online, and on Monday, Giuliani tweeted about what he meant. The explanation in full: "My statement was not meant as a pontification on moral theology but one referring to the situation where two people make precisely contradictory statements, the classic 'he said, she said' puzzle. Sometimes further inquiry can reveal the truth other times it doesn't." Message clarified? The conservative Washington Times thinks so, though most other coverage, as from CNN, NBC News, and the Hill, hedge that a bit and say Giuliani "sought to clarify" or words to that effect. Politico, for example, uses the phrase, "tried to walk back."

The context of the original statement: "Look, I am not going to be rushed into having [Trump] testify so that he gets trapped into perjury," Giuliani told NBC's Chuck Todd. "And when you tell me that, you know, he should testify because he's going to tell the truth and he shouldn't worry, well that's so silly because it's somebody's version of the truth. Not the truth. He didn't have a, a conversation—" Giuliani said. When Todd interjected, "Truth is truth," Giuliani answered, "No, it isn't truth. Truth isn't truth." Among those dinging Giuliani was John Oliver, who declared, "Trump is going to wind up behind bars with Giuliani visiting him and saying, 'Don't worry Donald, prison isn't prison.'" James Comey (here) and Merriam-Webster (here) also got in on it. (More Rudy Giuliani stories.)