Latest articles from Crooks and Liars

C&L's Late Nite Music Club: Joe Cocker re About To Own SpaceX. You DidnWith''t Have A Choice.

John Amato — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 03:00:01 +0000

Who could forgot the masterful performance of the late, great Joe Cocker at Woodstock?

Cocker was a Day 3 performer with The Grease Band.

The Guardian: "A string of concert dates and TV appearances climaxed with his appearance at the Woodstock festival in August 1969, where his extraordinary performance of With a Little Help from My Friends, complete with unearthly screams, hideous grimaces and apparently uncontrollable bodily gyrations, became one of the most unforgettable sequences from the ensuing movie of the event."

Open thread.

C&L's Late Nite Music Club: Joe Cocker re About To Own SpaceX. You DidnWith''t Have A Choice. From My Friends 1969 Woodstock''t Have A Choice.

Lisa Needham — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 21:35:08 +0000

SpaceX, arguably the most legitimate of Elon Musk’s businesses, is set to have the largest initial public offering ever.

But even if you’re not someone whose heart goes aflutter at the prospect of a multibazillion-dollar tech deal, and even if you’re not some day-trader wannabe, you apparently get to care about SpaceX. A lot.

Why? Because if you’re a normie with a 401(k), you’re probably going to own SpaceX—even if you never buy a share.

A lot of retirement investing is done via nice, safe index funds, which track various stock indexes. Those big, fancy indexes—like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq—have rules for who’s included to keep your index fund largely free of meme stonks and fly-by-night garbage.

But those rules would have kept SpaceX out of the trading, and we can’t have that.

So Musk trundled up to the major stock indexes and said that he really, really wants to be included, even though the rules don’t allow it. Typically, companies must be public for at least a year before being included in index funds, precisely to protect those funds.

UFC Fight Just Another Grift

Oliver Willis — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 20:14:31 +0000

The Trump family has come up with a new way to personally profit from the presidency.

This time, the grift is centered around the Ultimate Fighting Championship cage fight on the White House lawn scheduled for President Donald Trump’s birthday on June 14.

The “Trump Coins” website is currently selling UFC- and Trump-themed silver and gold coins. The site claims—without evidence—that the coins were “designed by President Trump.”

The coins, which range in price from $250 to an eye-popping $11,999.99, also feature Trump’s signature and photos of him and UFC chief Dana White, a longtime Trump ally.

CNN reported that, while the coins are not directly made by a Trump company, the Trump Organization is licensing the president’s name and image.

In preparation for the UFC cage fight, a large arena has been set up in front of the White House. And despite Trump’s attempts to change the design and structure of the White House, it is not his personal property. The building and its surroundings are still owned by the American people.

By tying this new coin to the White House event, the Trump family is using public property to generate personal profits.

But it certainly isn’t the first time.

Since being sworn in for his first term in 2017, Trump has been involved in a parade of moneymaking schemes.

Federal Judge Rips Interior Department For Rewriting History In National Parks

Susie Madrak — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 18:14:26 +0000

A federal judge in Massachusetts scorched Dumpy Trumpy's Interior Department on Friday for orders to remove all exhibits pertaining to race, sexuality, and climate from national parks — and issued an order to reverse all of it.

U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, went into painstaking detail about the significance of the exhibits being torn down under the so-called "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" order by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. (Imagine that jackass purporting to speak for truth and sanity. But I digress.)

"The National Park system ... serves as a cornerstone of public learning, providing rich and informative signs, exhibits, and interpretive waysides on topics ranging from civil rights to environmentalism," wrote Kelley, citing "the echoes of abolition in John Brown’s Fort in Harpers Ferry ... the genesis of the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement at the Stonewall National Monument ... [and] the retreating ice of Glacier National Park."

Scott Jennings Thinks Laws Are For Little People

Heather — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 18:13:10 +0000

He sure doesn't think they should apply to Trump during this little tirade on CNN's NewsNight this Friday.

A whole lot of people were very happy that this abomination's name is finally coming off of the Kennedy Center, with thousands tuning in to watch the removal on YouTube and a crowd of hundreds showing up at the center to watch in person, but apparently Jennings wasn't one of them.

PHILLIP: You know what, I think it's an important point that this, for liberals, is sort of like a celebratory moment, but I think it is emblematic of one of the big problems with this Trump second term.

He is expending a huge amount of energy self-aggrandizing in office. He was elected to lower prices and make people's lives better. Instead, according to CNN's reporting, he's calling into meetings — a source said it was like an episode of "Veep" — calling into meetings at the Kennedy Center to talk about this issue, to attack the judge's wife, who was a former attorney for Joe Biden at one point.

Then the board says, oh, maybe they'll pass a resolution to honor Trump that would recognize his major contributions. What is all of this about? Is the entire government supposed to be working to make this one man feel good about himself?
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The FBI Just Raided An Ohio Voting Rights Organization

NewsHound Ellen — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 18:09:45 +0000

Intimidation seems to be the main, if not the only reason for the FBI’s outright assault on democracy Thursday night.

As MS Now tells it, FBI agents raided the Cleveland offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, described as a “pro-democracy organization that helps register voters in that state.”

In addition, agents “fanned out across the state, showing up at the homes of the group’s leaders and staff members, carrying some subpoenas and seeking information and electronic devices.”

A board member told MS Now that agents were “basically trying to fish for information,” even from some who had only performed basic volunteer work. “They had agents all across the state going to civil rights leaders’ and community leaders’ doors intimidating them, coming and demanding that they talk about literally anything they would ask,” board member Prentiss Haney said, “ask[ing] them if they’re committing voter fraud, just on their doors, in front of their houses with their children, and just following them to work and school … Just straight-up intimidation tactics.”

Texas GOP Finds The Perfect Mascot For Their State Convention

Chris capper Liebenthal — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 16:01:39 +0000

The Texas Republicans are having their state convention this weekend. The theme is to pretend they have a unified front, which will be tricky after they had a scorched -earth primary that was won by the corrupt adulterer Ken Paxton.

To emphasize that point, the braintrust that makes up the Texas GOP brought in a live elephant to parade through the convention hall while wearing a banner that read "UNITY DRIVES VICTORY." Then, as the elephant passes the press area, it proves to be the perfect GOP mascot by spraying water all over the floor. Hopefully, no one in the press got splashed.

And driving the symbolism home even harder was the fact that Governor Greg Abbott's name was on the banner right where the streaming commentary was pouring out.

No one could have planned it better if they tried.

HOUSTON — Elephant joins Texas GOP convention, and pees right between the press area and delegates, after Gov. Greg Abbott’s speech. pic.twitter.com/cbW84wXVO5

— Alejandro Serrano (@serrano_alej) June 12, 2026

Trump Threatens Takeover Of D.C. If Dem Socialist Elected Mayor

Ed Scarce — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 16:01:19 +0000

Polls suggest that Janeese Lewis George, a DC city councillor, could win the Democratic primary next week. She's vowed to curb Trump's lawlessness in her city.

Source: Washington Post

President Donald Trump on Thursday waded into D.C.’s mayoral race for the first time, saying he is opposed to Janeese Lewis George, a democratic socialist, winning next week’s Democratic primary.

Trump, when asked by a reporter about the campaign, said he “wouldn’t like it” if Lewis George is victorious and threatened that his administration “maybe would take back Washington, run it on the federal basis.”

Lewis George didn't think much of Trump's threat, calling it "an attack on democracy itself." She's not wrong either.

“Threatening Home Rule because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself,” Lewis George, a D.C. Council member, said. “The people of D.C. elect the mayor of D.C. And they want someone who will stand up to Donald Trump.”
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Humpty Trumpty Orders Tarp To Cover His Humiliating Name Removal

Susie Madrak — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 12:31:58 +0000

Of course he was going to deny us the catharsis of actually seeing his name come down from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Of course.

Instead, a giant tarp was placed in front of the wall. "Nah nah, showed you!" Didn't matter, a crowd of onlookers cheered on the workers.

The removal was delayed by a last-minute appeal by Trump's minions on the board, which was denied.

Yeah, this is my city.

— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner.bsky.social) 2026-06-13T06:56:44.547Z

Legitimately the funniest skeet so far RE: Kennedy Center
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New DOJ Power Grab Legitimizes Maxwell’s Shady Prison Transfer

NewsHound Ellen — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 12:31:40 +0000

The suspicious transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell to a cushy prison not long after meeting with then-deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche – and where she has been given special privileges - has been stinking to high heaven ever since. Now, it turns out a recent policy change makes the whole thing stink even more.

The new policy allows the attorney general, instead of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, to “designate or redesignate the place of a prisoner’s imprisonment,” The Daily Beast explained.

Rep. Ross (D-NC), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told MS Now the “clear implication” is that Blanche improperly transferred Maxwell under the old rules and the DOJ is “trying to cover their tracks retroactively.” She is investigating, along with Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin and Ro Khanna.

“I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out what they’re doing,” Ross said.

The fact that it happened not long before Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s former criminal defense attorney, was officially nominated to become the next attorney general of the United States, makes the whole thing all the stinkier.

Buried In Fine Print: The Trump Admin Wants Your Insurer To Be Your Loan Shark

Conover Kennard — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 11:19:35 +0000

Tucked into the fine print (the shittier things are always in fine print) of a sweeping ACA regulatory overhaul, the Trump administration is quietly pitching a new idea for people who can't afford crushing out-of-pocket medical costs: borrow the money from your health insurer, The New York Times reports.

The proposal, floated in the administration's 1,121-page final rule governing next year's ACA marketplace, would allow insurers to offer loans to customers blindsided by catastrophic medical bills — loans that would have to be paid back, likely with interest.

However, officials frame it as a lifeline for people who opted for low-premium, high-deductible plans and then got hit with unexpected costs. But with more than a third of American households already carrying some form of medical debt, health policy experts are less than enthused about the idea of adding to that burden.

"The last thing you want to do is increase deductibles and load people up with more medical debt," said Stanford economist Neale Mahoney. "It seems to be hugely out of touch with where people are."

Mike’s Blog Round-Up

Tengrain — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 11:18:30 +0000

Above, from Louis and Noel B TV, Happy Pride. There's a lesson in being a good ally.

On this date in 1866 US House of Representatives passes the 14th Amendment.

Election Law Blog reports on the Roberts Court’s effective nullification of the Voting Rights Act.

The Cross Section proposes an election message: Not “You’re stupid for voting for Republicans,” but “Republicans think you’re stupid.” Might work!

The Mouthy Renegade has a different message: "Fuck Your Feelings."

JobsAnger asks, "Is Musk's Space X I.P.O. The Universe's Biggest Ponzi Scheme?"

Bonus Track: Be a good ally! You can find a Pride celebration near you!

Round-up by Tengrain who blogs at Mock, Paper, Scissors. You can follow Tengrain on the Fediverse, or on BlueSky. Send tips, requests, and suggestions to mbru@crooksandliars.com (with For MBRU in the subject line).

Why Is It Always Israel? The Question No One Wants Asked

Cliff Schecter — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 11:17:16 +0000

Julie Roginsky joined me for the kinda crucial, personal conversation we must have with political allies when about deeply unsettling behavior. Julie and I, both 50-something, longtime Democratic consultants, talkers, and Jews—though unreligious and not very culturally Jewish—felt it was time to address something bothering us both: the increasingly open and virulent anti-Semitism on parts of The Left.

We both think Bibi Netanyahu's a war criminal. A criminal-criminal. And AIPAC are right-wing Republican clods. None of this is anti-Semitic to point out. But we’re seeing conspiracy theories shared by people we know who are otherwise progressive. Some blame American Jews for Israel. Some blame all Israeli Jews for Bibi’s crimes (like blaming all of us for Trump’s). Some use “Zionist” like “white supremacist,” though the origins/belief systems couldn’t be more unalike.

Gaza's horrific. Nobody excuses it—why would we? We condemn Bibi for his atrocities there. But you know what else is horrific? Sudan. Myanmar. Syria. China puts Muslims in concentration camps. Saudi Arabia mass-murders Yemenis, and their “leader,” MBS, ordered an American green-card holder bone-sawed to death. They murder women for the “crime” of being raped. And MBS was every bit as crucial in convincing Trump to attack Iran as Netanyahu.

Friday Night Funnies: Larry David Confronts A Skin Head

John Amato — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:23:44 +0000

J.B. Smooth and Larry David have some of the funniest scenes together on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Leon Black gives Larry some important information on how to handle an interaction with a man calling you a derogatory name.

Open thread.

This Is Your Brain On Trump: Rep. Randy Fine's Fox Business Meltdown

John Amato — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 22:52:57 +0000

Rep. Randy Fine joined Fox Business to promote Trump's claim that an Iran peace deal is near, and whined that not enough people love his Dear Leader.

This reminded me of the old anti-drug commercial using an egg to describe what happens to your brain on drugs.

Trump caused the problem and now can't rectify it, but Rep. Fine has faith.

FINE: But I also trust Donald Trump, and I know if anyone can get this done, it is him.

I place my faith in him, and I know this is an incredibly difficult thing, and the only thing I wish is that people would support the president more as he's trying to do something that will protect us all, because Iran having a nuclear weapon would be catastrophic to the United States.

And I just wish the Democrats understood that and would support the president as he's fighting for all of us.

Trump is fighting only for the wealth class and his elitist friends. If he supported the actual country, he would have never signed off on a tax cut for the rich bill. Trump has put most of the country's healthcare in jeopardy, while his failed policies are strangling the economy to a point where people can't buy groceries.

At the same time, he started a war with Iran because Bibi Netanyahu thought of it first, which has severely disrupted the global oil supply, resulting in a skyrocketing cost of gasoline.

Geography Is HARD: Trump Says Maine Lobsters Come From Japan

John Amato — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:53:50 +0000

During a presser in the White House on Thursday to announce he was calling off the strikes on Iran, Trump disassembled into waxing that fishermen love him, and then devolved into claiming "you have to go to Japan to get a Maine lobster."

Taco Trump wrote on Truth Social, "Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, canceled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening.”

Nobody saw that coming, right?

Trump then rambled through several other ideas that struck his fancy, including bragging, the saying he shouldn't brag, then bragging some more while lying on top of it all.

TRUMP: America's fishermen have never had a better ally in the White House than Donald Trump.

That I will say. I shouldn't say that because I don't want to brag, but based on the vote of getting almost every vote ever, but you have never had.

And again, in Maine, I opened it up.

You know who's fishing there, Canada, Canada, Japan, was fishing there, Maine lobster.

You couldn't get a Maine lobster.

You had to go to Japan to get a Maine lobster. You had to go to Canada to get a Maine lobster.

They were fishing there.

Not only that, you had to go a day and a half in a boat and they had you at three knots.
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Lil' Marco Rubio Somehow Compares UFC To The Moon Landing

John Amato — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:53:04 +0000

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a bizarre analogy comparing the UFC to the United States putting a man on the moon in an effort to defend Trump's defiling the White House grounds by hosting a UFC fight on his 80th birthday.

Rubio claimed that the UFC or the mixed martial arts industry is as revolutionary as the NASA Space program was in 1969.

RUBIO: I have a couple of reasons why I think it's very powerful.

Here's the first. The first is America, and the ideal behind America is the impossible.

That someone tells you, you can't do that, or that's never going to happen. The whole idea of America is audacious.

The very idea that America, that you could have a country founded on the principle that your rights come not from your government or from your leaders, your rights come from your creator, was an audacious idea.

No one else believed that at the world at that time. And that's the foundation. But then, beyond that, everything we've done since then as a nation, time and again, how can you achieve some of the things?

You know, we're going to put a man on the moon. When President Kennedy announced that we were going to put a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth, no one thought that was possible, and we did it.

We are a nation founded on doing what no one else dared to do and no one else aspired to do.

And at some level, that's what this whole company, what UFC, has been.

Please don't vomit on your monitors, smartphones, or tablets.

POTUS Won't Sign Peace Deal If It Happens During UFC Cage Match

David Edwards — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 19:55:45 +0000

President Donald Trump won't attend the signing of his own Iran peace deal — the White House has a UFC fight scheduled for the same weekend.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump announced he had canceled planned strikes against Iran after negotiations reached the "highest level of Iranian leadership." The deal, he said on Truth Social, has been approved by the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt "and others," with a naval blockade remaining in place until the agreement is finalized. The time and place of the signing, he added, were yet to be announced.

In the Oval Office, Trump filled in one logistical detail: he won't be there.

"'The Strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe. I won't be able to be there, but JD will be there — Vice President — and some of the people. Steve Witkoff did a great job, Jared," Trump told reporters.

Vice President JD Vance and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will attend the signing in his place.

Desperate GOP Attack Ad Features James Talarico Singing In A Dress

RedStateRachel — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 18:58:31 +0000

MAGA continues to use middle-school tactics to attack U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico. A Pro-Trump PAC is running a new AI TV ad showing the Texas Senate candidate wearing a dress and singing about transgender kids.

San Antonio Current reported the AI ad showed Talarico singing to the tune of “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music.

"Boys in white dresses with blue satin sashes / Girls dosed with hormones til’ they grow mustaches.”

“Changing the gender of all of your offspring / These are a few of my favorite things.”

From Jesse Watters to Stephen Miller, the bar for Republicans is in hell.

That's because Talarico terrifies Trump and his GOP opponent Ken Paxton.

Team Talarico Responds

HuffPost reported that Talarico's spokesperson JT Ennis, responded to the latest juvenile attack:

GOP Congressman Declares Trump Was Born A 'Very Special Baby' — No, Really

Conover Kennard — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:58:26 +0000

Texas Republican Rep. Troy Nehls outdid his colleagues in heaping praise on Donald Trump with reporters on Thursday. Somehow, with a straight face, he declared that the president "was born a very special baby." A United States congressman said that. Out loud. On purpose.

"You know, I know we got this weaponization fund, but I think maybe we need to establish a fund for those that have Trump derangement syndrome and get counseling," he said. "Maybe we ought to provide some counseling for all the nutjobs out there that think Donald Trump is the worst thing."

"Donald Trump is the best thing to happen in this country in 100 years," he insisted. "He was born, he was born a very special baby."

"I bet you the doctor said, I can tell this is a very special baby, right?" he added.

Nehls informed America that Donald J. Trump was born a very special baby, and that doctors probably sensed his greatness the moment he emerged into the world. You cannot make this up. A sitting member of Congress, with a straight face, essentially delivered a Hallmark card for a cult leader. "He was born a very special baby" is the kind of thing you'd say about a golden retriever puppy, not a twice-impeached, grifting former president currently back in office.

Trump Cancels Opening Of Gordie Howe Bridge Just Because

Ed Scarce — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:05:32 +0000

The invitations for local dignitaries had been sent out, and school children and police were ready to witness the ribbon-cutting on Friday. And then Donald Trump stepped in to ruin everything, as he always does.

Windsor, Ontario, Mayor Drew Dilkens was not as diplomatic about the situation as Canadian Prime Minister Carney, as Windsor and Detroit have been waiting decades for the bridge, saying of the delay, "The fingerprints of Donald Trump are all over this."

Source: CBC

The opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge was delayed at the request of the United States, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday afternoon.

Hours after the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority postponed a planned ribbon-cutting event on Friday, Carney said there were "a few issues that have been raised."
...

The postponement — and Carney's comments — come after a White House official told CBC News this week that U.S. President Donald Trump's position on the bridge had not changed.

"The administration remains committed to securing the best possible deal for the American people," the statement read.

Earlier this year, Trump threatened to stall the opening of the bridge until the U.S. is compensated, despite Canada paying entirely for the construction of the bridge and it being jointly owned with the state of Michigan.
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Even Trump's Own Former Economic Advisor Says His Policies Caused Inflation

John Amato — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:49:56 +0000

Trump's former economic advisor and failed Federal Reserve Board of Governors nominee Steven Moore gave Fox News a bit of reality when he blamed the awful inflation report on the high cost of oil and fertilizer because of the Iran war and the blockages in the Strait of Hormuz.

Moore joined host Martha MacCallum, who asked about the odious inflation report, which has been debilitating to the US economy and the public at large.

MARTHA: Didn't we did get a not attractive inflation right this morning let's put these numbers up for CPI all food prices up 3% all gas prices up 40% energy prices up 23 and a half.

And we can see those up on the board. What does that do?

MOORE: Well, so the overall inflation rate is now running at about 4.2 percent, that's pretty high. Not catastrophic, I mean you and I lived through the 1970s where inflation was high as 11 -12 percent.

But the fact is that this is all being driven by the high price of oil. By the way, also a lot of the fertilizer goes through the Strait of Hormuz too and that's driven up the price of food as well, so that's those are the two commodities that are rising really rapidly in prices oil and food products.

And you know that's what people buy. They pay gas at the pump, and they go to the grocery store, and they're paying these high prices for food.

Exactly.

Here We Go Again With This Social Security Bullsh*t

Susie Madrak — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:07:00 +0000

Four senior senators, two Democrats and two Republicans, are calling on Congress to tackle the “hard” debate over how to extend the solvency of Social Security after the program’s trustees issued a new report this week projecting it will face a significant shortfall at the end of 2032.

“It’s clear now that Congress shouldn’t delay any longer. Several of us have been coming together to talk about how we can strengthen Social Security for current and future generations of retirees. We say to our colleagues: join us in doing what we were elected to do — legislate on hard issues and protect this lifeline program for our kids and grandkids,” Sens. Dick Durbin, Bill Cassidy, Tom Kaine and Thom Tillis said in a joint statement.

The senators issued their call to action after Social Security’s trustees warned that the program will become insolvent by the end of 2032 and beneficiaries would see their monthly payments reduced by 22 percent.

Durbin, Cassidy, Kaine and Tillis said Congress has good ideas for shoring up the program but needs to find the courage to act.

Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: Ireland Just Wants To Be White Again!

John Amato — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:31:28 +0000

Fox and Friends host Brian Kilmeade celebrated ultra right-wing violent protests in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Wednesday in response to a 30-year-old man from Sudan charged with attempted murder in a stabbing attack, claiming they just want to be ~~white~~ Irish again, and DHS Secretary. Mullen agreed.

To many at Fox News and in the Trump administration, there is no racism when you're standing up for your white values.

It's wild hearing Fox News hosts suddenly love protests when every other protest in our country is considered by them un-American and paid for by George Soros.

KILMEADE: Belfast, how they're standing up because their leaders have let them down in their own streets, trying to take their country back.

They want to label them as racist or xenophobic. All they want to be is Irish. They want Ireland back.

And that is what we've been saying for the longest time.

So when you see their fight in the streets, and I've never been to Northern Ireland, I see a lot of the same fights here as they almost beheaded a guy for being Irish by another guy that came from another country, from Sudan, who felt as though they haven't beheaded someone lately. So we thought he'd start then.
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Why The Heck Did Trump Need 22 Medical Specialists For His Checkup?

NewsHound Ellen — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:54:15 +0000

The Washington Post reported this week that Donald Trump “appears to have set a new bar” for the greatest number of medical specialists involved in a presidential checkup. His 22 specialists are nearly double the 12 involved in Geroge W. Bush’s first presidential checkup and are more than four times the five involved in George H.W. Bush’s.

More concerningly, it’s double the 11 specialists involved in Trump’s 2019 checkup and quite a few more than the 14 involved in his checkup last year. To quote a friend who heard about the 22 specialists, “I don’t think I have that many organs!”

Dick Cheney’s cardiologist, Jonathan Reiner, offered a more professional view for The Post. He called it “an extraordinary number” of specialists and asked what specialties they represented and “Why so many?”

Predictably, the White House is claiming there’s nothing to see here. “The involvement of multiple specialists reflects a comprehensive, multidisciplinary evaluation consistent with best practices for executive-level medical care,” the White House said in a statement.

“We have nothing to hide,” a White House official told The Post.

So, you know they are hiding something.