A letter-writer in the New York Times, July 21, wondered: did President Trump give an exclusive interview to the Times because "he secretly longs for the legitimacy that only The New York Times can confer on him?" Six months into the Trump presidency and the Times, with the aid of a reader, would claim to get to the heart of the matter: political "legitimacy" is conferred on our presidents by Times, not by the voters. A corollary is suggested: "scandals" are not scandals unless so declared by the Times.  This explains why Filegate – the curious appearance in the Clinton White House of FBI files mainly on Republican figures, and IRSgate – the curious harassment of mainly conservative groups seeking applications for tax waivers – never amounted to a hill of beans, and why Surveillance-gate – the illegal surveillance of Republicans allegedly by the previous...(Read Full Post)