Once again, our so-called president has embarrassed the United States in front of the whole world, at his press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, by:

1. Refusing to withdraw his claim that Obama ordered him to be "wiretapped."
2. Refusing to withdraw his claim that British intelligence helped Obama commit this alleged crime.
3. Citing as his source "a certain very talented legal mind" on Fox News and saying, "We said nothing. Ask Fox News."

So, at the same time as he refused to repudiate or apologize for accusing President Obama of a serious crime, he tried to weasel out of it and blamed Fox News for reporting it in the first place.

WASHINGTON — President Trump refused to back down on Friday after his White House aired an unverified claim that Britain’s spy agency secretly monitored him during last year’s campaign at the behest of President Barack Obama, fueling a rare rupture between the United States and its most important international partner.

Although his aides in private conversations since Thursday night had tried to calm British officials who were livid over the claim, Mr. Trump made clear that he felt the White House had nothing to retract or apologize for. He said his spokesman was simply repeating an assertion made by a Fox News commentator.

“We said nothing,” Mr. Trump told a German reporter who asked about the matter at a joint White House news conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel. “All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television. I didn’t make an opinion on it.” He added: “You shouldn’t be talking to me. You should be talking to Fox.”

Oh, and that “very talented legal mind” he’s talking about? He’s referring to Andrew Napolitano, a notorious 9/11 Truther and frequent guest on the Alex Jones conspiracy sideshow.

Here’s Napolitano on the Alex Jones show, saying he thinks the US government is lying about the September 11 attacks, and that he doesn’t believe World Trade Center Building 7 “came down by itself.” This is the guy Donald Trump thinks is an authoritative source for news and intelligence information.

Media Matters

As for Trump’s demand to the press that they ask Fox News about his wiretap claim, well…

“Fox News cannot confirm Judge Napolitano’s commentary,” Shepard Smith says just now on Fox.

— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) March 17, 2017