FACT CHECK/IMPEACHMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “There are days in Washington lately when it feels like the truth itself is on trial. Monday [12-9-19] was one of those days. An impeachment hearing on Capitol Hill presented radically competing versions of reality. An F.B.I. inspector general report punctured longstanding conspiracy theories even as it provided ammunition for others. And a trove of documents exposed years of government deception about the war in Afghanistan. While truth was deemed an endangered species in the nation’s capital long before President Trump’s arrival, it has become axiomatic in the era of ‘alternative facts’ that each person or party entertains only their own preferred variant, resisting contrary information. Rarely has that been on display as starkly as on Monday, underscoring the deep distrust that many Americans harbor toward their leaders and institutions.”
–Peter Baker, “Lies, Damned Lies and Washington,” The New York Times online, December 9, 2019