The alleged recording device was concealed. The complimentary paragraph about Donald Trump was positioned where absolutely everyone could find it.

DOJ’s announcement says an OpenAI engineer was charged over a covert recorder allegedly placed in an executive conference room. These are allegations, not a conviction. The same announcement quotes intelligence director Jay Clayton praising Trump’s leadership in creating the Super Intelligence Force.

Our imaginary press-office tutorial admires the technique. First establish that somebody may have broken the law. Then establish that the president has been magnificent. The first proposition requires a case; the second apparently comes preinstalled.

A conference-room television has become a supporting actor in the global race for superintelligence. In our fictional promotional cut, the TV’s greatest security feature is its ability to stand near a sentence thanking the administration.

There are legitimate security questions to investigate. None requires the press release to arrive with an applause track.

The allegation awaits a verdict. The presidential tribute did not.