Report: Trump pressured Park Service director to back false claims about inauguration numbers

According to a disturbing report by The Washington Post, one day after this month’s inauguration, newly-minted President Donald Trump ordered National Park Service director Michael T. Reynolds to help produce more alternative facts.

Sources indicated that Reynolds was given a number to call. When he did, he was put on hold to speak to the President.  During the conversation Trump expressed anger about the agency providing accurate information in the comparison of Obama’s 2009 inauguration to his own.

From The Post:

Trump also expressed anger over a retweet sent from the agency’s account, in which side-by-side photographs showed far fewer people at his swearing-in than had shown up to see Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009.

Instead of devoting more time to matters of national importance, Trump pressured the acting director into providing evidence that would ease his bruised ego. Neither Reynolds nor representatives could speak to the matter of the conversation. According to the agency’s spokesperson Thomas Croon, “The National Park Service does not comment on internal conversations among administration officials.”

Meanwhile, White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders indicated Trump was proactive in trying to support his alternative facts by being, “so accessible, and constantly in touch.”

“He’s not somebody who sits around and waits. He takes action and gets things done,” Sanders said. “That’s one of the reasons that he is president today, and Hillary Clinton isn’t.”

Trump’s proactive style included shutting down any federal agency who dared report true and accurate facts and pushing anyone in his administration to promote falsehoods to his liking.

Trump further indicated his priorities when visiting the CIA headquarters. The President, using the solemn backdrop of the CIA Memorial Wall said, “it’s a lie. We caught them in a beauty. It looked like a million, a million and a half people [at the inauguration].” Even though all available evidence indicates otherwise.

Though initially off put, Reynolds did attempt to procure the photos requested by the president. The pictures, however, tell a very different story to Trumps “millions.”

According to estimates, the turnout was no more than one-third the size of Obama’s.

Featured image via YouTube

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.

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