OPINION:
Cliff Sims is a former White House aide who just wrote a book blasting this White House called “Team of Vipers.”
Can you say Scott McClellan? How about Omarosa Manigault?
Sims, like McClellan, the former White House press secretary for George Bush, or like Manigault, the former Trump-supporter-turned-Trump-nemesis, presents as just another political slime guy who doesn’t mind biting the hand that once fed if it advances some personal ambitions for celebrity-ism. And on anything anti-President Donald Trump — the mainstream media opportunities beckon.
Sims is just this week’s opportunistic press darling.
As Trump put it on Twitter: “A low level staffer that I hardly knew named Cliff Sims wrote yet another boring book based on made up stories and fiction. He pretended to be an insider when in fact he was nothing more than a gofer. He signed a non-disclosure agreement. He is a mess!”
CNN host Alisyn Camerota, who happened to be interviewing Sims around the time Trump tweeted, jumped on the messaging for a crack shot of shock, and said: “You would be shocked what the president just tweeted about you while we were doing the interview,” Mediaite reported.
Shocked — really? Honestly, the bigger shock would’ve been if Trump didn’t tweet about Sims. The media know this; that’s why CNN was monitoring Trump’s Twitter feed during the Sims interview.
But don’t expect the media cycle to die a natural death any time soon.
Michael Glassner, the chief operating officer for Donald J. Trump for President Inc., just put this on Twitter: “The Trump campaign is preparing to file suit against Cliff Sims for violating our NDA.”
That’s fine — non-disclosure agreements should be enforced, particularly in cases where the suspected violator is only committing the violation for personal gain, for personal fame.
But Team Trump should consider this as well: Sims is just one of scores of anti-Trumpers out there who want to seize on the left-leaning media’s hatred of this administration to make a quick buck. A tweet is one thing, a lawsuit quite another.
Does the White House really want to keep this sideshow circus alive longer than it has to?
After all, a lion doesn’t have to engage with a mouse. A president doesn’t have to bother with an opportunist.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter @ckchumley.
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