Rule 1, Cops Lie

Rule 2, See Rule 1.

Case in point, the alleged manifesto of the Covenant School shooter.

It turns out that there was no manifesto, just rather incoherent notes detailing the actions of other mass shooters in an approving way.

They had to know this within hours, but let the lie sit there for days:

There are exclusive new details about the so-called manifesto left by The Covenant School shooter.

Authorities have yet to release what was written publicly. But TBI director David Rausch did talk candidly about the contents of the manifesto at a Tennessee Sheriffs' Association meeting. Rausch said what police found isn't so much a manifesto spelling out a target but a series of rambling writings indicating no clear motive.

Investigators searched the Nashville home of the Covenant School shooter leaving with among other things — a number or handwritten journals, some videos and computer hard drives. Rausch told sheriffs that the review so far of the material finds that the killer did not write about specific political, religious or social issues. In fact, a primary focus in the journals is on idolizing those who committed prior school shootings.

She appears to have followed their lead planning for months and acted alone.

Why members of the press routinely act as stenographers for the police when said cops are known to routinely lie to said reporters is beyond me.

Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.