Resign, Sean Spicer.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer

Trump White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer lied to the American people yesterday on national TV. As Spicer himself noted just a few weeks ago: There is one rule the press secretary always must follow, never lie.

Yet Spicer lied. And now he must resign.

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Spicer's multiple lies came in a tirade yesterday about the poor attendance at Trump's inaugural. Many media outlets accurately reported that while President Obama had 1.8 million attendees at his inaugural in 2009, and 1 million in 2013, Donald Trump had far fewer (the latest estimate is around 160,000 for Trump).

The poor turnout numbers so incensed Trump that he groused about them, calling the media liars, while speaking at the CIA memorial wall for agents who died in the line of duty. This was followed by Spicer holding his first press conference at the White House as press secretary, in which Spicer angrily repeated the same lies.

Here are Sean Spicer's lies:

1. Spicer claimed, among other things, that the media intentionally framed photos in a way to make it look as if inaugural crowds were smaller than they were. This was not true. It is clear from the photos that far fewer people showed up this year.

Here is a picture via the Washington Post of the Trump inaugural at its peak, minutes before Trump was sworn in. Obama is on the left, Trump on the right. There is no question, Obama had more.

Even Fox News' Chris Wallace, in an interview with White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, said he was at the swearing in and Trump lied about the number of people there.

2. Spicer claimed that this was the first time a white covering were laid down on the mall to protect the grass, and that the covering gave the impression that fewer people were there. The Park Service used the same coverings in 2013 for President Obama's second inaugural.

3. Spicer claimed that the Secret Service installed magnetometers, for the first time every, making it hard for many would-be attendees to make it to the national mall to see Trump. The Secret Service said that no magnetometers were used.

4. Spicer lied about the number of people using the DC Metro that day, claiming that there were more Metro riders during Trump's inaugural than during Obama's last swearing in, thus proving more people were in attendance than in 2013. Vanity Fair debunks this: "CNN and The Washington Post confirmed Metro ridership with the agency. The full day of Trump’s inauguration prompted 570,557 trips in the system. Obama’s first inauguration drew 1.1 million trips, and Obama’s second inauguration drew 782,000 trips."

5. Spicer falsely claimed that: "This was the largest audience to witness an inauguration, period. Both in person and around the globe.” It wasn't:


Even Sean Spicer said lies are unacceptable

During an interview just three weeks ago, Sean Spicer spoke at length about integrity, and how a White House press secretary can never lie:

"The one thing, that whether you're a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, you have your integrity. I may tell a reporter I can't comment on something, or I'm not able to discuss that. But I have never lied. And I don't intend. I would argue that anybody who's an aspiring communicator adhere to that. If you lose the respect and trust of the press corps, then you got nothing."

Spicer went on to say:

"I don't think any communicator worth their salt can go out and tell a lie. You can't do it.... You can spin the way you want, but I think to go out and tell an all out lie is something that is not acceptable."
Spicer is right, it's not acceptable to lie. The question now is whether White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has the integrity that he spoke of not three weeks ago.

Sean Spicer should keep his word, win back his integrity, and resign.

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To: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer
From: [Your Name]

You said only a few weeks that the one inviolate rule for a White House press secretary is to never lie. Yet you lied this past weekend when you berated the media for accurately reporting the poor attendance numbers for Donald Trump's inaugural. Keep your word, Mr. Spicer, and win back your integrity. Resign as White House press secretary, and let someone the American people can trust take the position in your place.