Since he glided down the escalator at Trump Tower to face the press announcing his run for president June 16, 2015, the media has been relentless dismissing his candidacy, and once it became clear he was the GOP front-runner they turned to upending is campaign. Joined by detractors on both sides of the aisle—the so-called “Never Trump” crowd—the media has reported only negative news about Trump. Things got a lot worse Nov. 8, 2016 when voters rejected the mainstream press that nearly all endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Voters’ rejection of the U.S. press represents one of the stunning historic blows to broadcast and print journalism. Journalist-after-journalist, pundit-after-pundit, denounced Trump before the election and wage all-out war against Trump now that he’s president. Whatever Trump says or does, he’s condemned by the press.
Instead of showing the new president some deference, the press hasn’t let up for a second in their almost universal condemnation. Tuesday’s firing of FBI Director James Comey pushed an already bad situation over the top. Unlike past presidents, Trump strikes back when attacked by the press. Trump’s 29.2 million Twitter followers gives him instant access to an alternative media, turning out his message before censored or pre-digested by the media. Spending more time denouncing his Tweets, the media can’t stop Trump from getting out his message. Denounced by almost every journalist and pundit, Trump shows he’s not intimidated, taking on the news establishment single-handedly. Instead of finding common ground, the broadcast and print establishment, with the exception of Fox News, continues its relentless attacks, failing to report factual information on most Trump stories.
Take his firing of FBI Director James Comey as an example. Instead of reporting Trump’s rationale in terminating the FBI Director, the broadcast and print media remain fixated on Trump trying to stymie the FBI investigation into his ties to the Kremlin. Even though the Trump-Kremlin Story started with the Hillary campaign, the media refuses to stop the false narrative. Focused exclusively on Trump stonewalling an investigation, the media won’t cover Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein’s three-page letter explaining why Comey had to go. Rosenstein explained the nation’s chief law enforcement officer went rogue, usurping the Department of Justice and courts, especially when it came to the Hillary email investigation. Rosenstein stated clearly that when Comey testified May 4 before the Senate Judiciary Committee, he showed zero contrition for politicizing the FBI.
Democrats and Trump-hating Republicans were far more outraged that Comey was fired than he influenced the outcome of the Nov. 8, 2016 election. Since reopening Hillary’s email investigation Oct. 28, 2016, only 11 days before Election Day, Democrats blasted Comey for upending Hillary’s campaign. Comey admitted to the Committee May 4 that he said he couldn’t trust Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch because she met June 29, 2016 with former President Bill Clinton, apparently discussing what she’d do if Comey recommends indictment. One week later, Comey shutdown Hillary’s email investigation. Comey played, judge, jury and executioner, showing he’d gone rogue, not knowing the boundaries of FBI Director. Rosenstein concluded that Comey wasn’t likely to change, requiring the FBI to have new leadership. No one at the FBI is willing to admit that Comey crossed the line.
Yet the broadcast and print media only report on Trump trying to cover up an investigation, something so misleading, so deceptive, it can only be explained as pernicious propaganda to discredit Trump. Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Global threats May 11, Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe told the Committee that nothing could stop the FBI investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election or whether Trump or his campaign team colluded with the Kremlin. Since Wednesday the New York Times circulated an unverified rumor that Trump fired Comey after he requested more cash for the investigation. McCabe also dismissed the idea as factually incorrect. Yet headline-and-headline showed the real motive for Trump firing Comey because he requested more funds and was closing on a major revelation about the 2016 election.
Instead of blaming Trump for defending himself against pernicious propaganda from the broadcast and print media, the media should take a hard look at how they report news about Trump. No one accused former President Bill Clinton of a cover-up when he fired former FBI Director William Sessions July 13, 1993 for alleged ethical lapses. Showing that Comey had gone rogue usurping the DOJ and the courts, Rosenstein made a much stronger case against Comey than Clinton did against Sessions. Rosenstein mentioned nothing about Comey’s use of Hillary’s dirty dossier against Trump to justify “probable cause” to get a Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act {FISA] court warrant to spy on Trump’s campaign team or “unmask” them while talking to foreign agents. Whatever Comey did in the Hillary email investigation, it paled in comparison to abusing his intel authority.
