The Patriot Post® · Friday Short Cuts

Upright: “We know that families and churches, not government [officials], know best how to create a strong and loving community. … In America we don’t worship government. We worship God.” —Donald Trump

For the record: “By firing Comey and then tweeting recklessly about it, Trump elevated a long-running but manageable problem — the so-called ‘Russia thing’ — into an independent investigation that seriously endangers his presidency.” —Matthew Continetti

Friendly fire: “The assumption of the critics of the president … is that somewhere along the line in the last year … the president had something to do with colluding with the Russians … to affect the election in some way. And yet what came apart [Thursday] morning was that theory. … Where’s the there there?” —MSNBC’s Chris Matthews

Alpha Jackass: “Do you believe people in the Muslim religion stand condemned? … I understand you are a Christian, but this country are [sic] made of people who are not just — I understand that Christianity is the majority religion, but there are other people of different religions in this country and around the world. In your judgment, do you think that people who are not Christians are going to be condemned?” —Bernie Sanders with an unconstitutional religious test for Trump OMB nominee Russell Vought

Belly laugh of the week: “This is the height of egoism and moral vacuum seeking only their own well-being even at the cost of the entire planet and, at the same time, a short-sighted and silly decision ignorant of the fact that the protection of the global environment is in their own interests.” —North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Trump’s retreat from the Paris climate accord

And last… “Thursday we learned that as of May 9, the day James Comey was fired, President Trump was never under investigation by the FBI. (As Senator Marco Rubio pointed out, this is the one piece of information about the FBI investigation into Russia that somehow never leaked. It is hard to believe that the leakers’ decision to withhold the most exculpatory fact is a coincidence.)” —Jim Geraghty