Conservative media figures are now attacking the credibility of the first intelligence community whistleblower who reported President Donald Trump’s abuse of power involving Ukraine after news broke that the career intelligence official had contact with then-Vice President Joe Biden as part of his duties.
Conservative media freak out over reporting that the Trump whistleblower, a career intelligence analyst, had contact with a former vice president
Written by Zachary Pleat
Published
The Washington Examiner reported on October 8 that the Intelligence Community inspector general had told members of Congress that the whistleblower “had a significant tie to one of the Democratic presidential candidates currently vying to challenge President Trump in next year's election.” According to the conservative outlet, that was “more evidence of possible bias on the whistleblower’s part.” On October 10, the Examiner expanded on its coverage with a report claiming that the whistleblower “had a ‘professional’ tie” to Biden during the Obama administration. The article cited anonymous sources and other news organizations’ reports that the whistleblower was a career CIA analyst and had, at one point, worked on the National Security Council and thus could have briefed Biden on Ukraine issues. The Examiner also reported that the intelligence community inspector general said that any perception of political bias on the whistleblower’s part “did not change my determination that the complaint relating to the urgent concern 'appears credible.'”
Trump reacted to Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo’s tweet about the story by declaring: “A Giant Scam!” But as Yashar Ali, New York magazine and HuffPost contributor, noted: “That’s what national security officials do. This is being billed as some bombshell?” And Susan Hennessey, CNN national security analyst and executive editor of the blog Lawfare, tweeted: “A long time national security official worked with ... the former Vice President. That’s your breaking news? Gosh, next you’ll uncover that John Brennan was this person’s former boss!”
Nonetheless, Trump’s sycophantic supporters in conservative media used the Examiner’s report to further their dishonest attacks against the whistleblower and the impeachment inquiry investigating the president:
Conservative talk radio host Sebastian Gorka: “COUP.”
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk: “We’re supposed to believe this is all ethical?”
Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce: “Considering the Dem corruption we’ve been dealing with, I should have known.”
Townhall.com: “This. Is. Insane.”
Fox & Friends First co-host Jillian Mele: “Is the impeachment inquiry facing a credibility crisis?”
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From the October 11 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends First
ROB SCHMITT (CO-HOST): We don't know the whistleblower's identity but we we did just learn that the person has ties to the Obama-Biden White House.
JILLIAN MELE (CO-HOST): Is the impeachment inquiry facing a credible a crisis? We are live in Washington.
Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera: “I believe that what you have here is … a political activist, who wanted to hurt the president.”
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From the October 10 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends
GERALDO RIVERA (FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE): Regardless of what Biden's motive is, he's joining a process that is fundamentally flawed. Where's the constitutional due process. You know, love him or loathe him, President Trump deserves, you know, his rights. And his rights dictate, as they did for Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, one in 1974, the other in 1998, there has to be a vote on whether or not Congress has an impeachment inquiry. There's been no vote. You have a half a dozen committee chairman running off, throwing subpoenas if it was confetti in a Mardi Gras parade, you know. And there's no due process for the president, Republicans can't ask questions, they can't subpoena their own witnesses. So I urge the president to resist. This is a kangaroo court, Adam Schiff is Captain Kangaroo, and, you know, Nancy Pelosi is the bandleader.
STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): Yeah but, Geraldo, it's working for Democrats. You look, you know, at public sentiment, and it seems to be turning. More people are saying, you know, we probably should have some sort of an inquiry into this. And that number about the number of people who felt that he should be removed -- that could only be explained that the Democrats are getting their message out while the Republicans have not been that successful at it.
RIVERA: Well the Democrats have an adoring media, the drumbeat has been incessant. The president hasn't adequately confronted -- I think the addition of Trey Gowdy will be helpful to have some -- a strong, experienced, former prosecutor, former congressperson, you know, taking some of the, some of the public heat from the president. And keep steering it back to the fundamental, the fundamental question. You cannot allow the Democrats to proceed with any kind of righteousness unless they abide by constitutional due process. My God, it is simple. Unless this Congress votes, unless the House votes -- they'll probably win the vote if they have the vote, but unless they do vote, then the Republicans have no rights, they subpoena, can subpoena no one. Where is the fairness in this? At some point the American people will see through the propaganda and demand, as the president does, whether they love him or loathe him -- as I said, it doesn't matter pro-Trump, anti-Trump, that doesn't matter. What matters is, he's the president of the United States, and the historic precedent in the 20 and 21st Century, the person accused in this most profound, distressing experience for any president deserves to have fairness. Just as any defendant in any court. I know it's a political process, but even politics has to depend in some measure on precedent. Precedent here is clear. Nixon, they voted in '74. Clinton, they voted in '98. Why is Nancy Pelosi not allowing this Congress to vote? If I were the president, I would resist every subpoena, I would deny them every single witness, I would fight them tooth and nail, and let the courts decide whether or not the House can proceed without constitutional due process.
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RIVERA: Strategically, I say the president has to fight them tooth and nail. He can't sanctify this, or confirm this process. This has to be something that, you know, this is, this is a bar fight. This is tooth and nail. There's nothing nice about this. Every time Nadler or Schiff or any of them issues a subpoena, the White House should use it to blow their nose.
Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo: “The bottom line is … now we see that there is political bias. That, I think, is the headline of this story.”
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From the October 11 edition of Fox Business' Mornings with Maria Bartiromo
MARIA BARTIROMO (ANCHOR): The bottom line is we were wondering, you know, if this person was fully independent or, in fact, he wasn't or she wasn't and now we see that there is political bias. That, I think, is the headline of this story, I don't know how close they were and how close they weren't. But, you know, it's not clean that it was just an independent viewer looking at a transcript or overhearing a conversation.
Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett: “This whole thing stinks like five-day-old fish.”
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From the October 11 edition of Fox Business' Mornings with Maria Bartiromo
MARIA BARTIROMO (ANCHOR): First, let me get your take on the Ukraine situation because now we know, according to the Washington Examiner, lawyers for the whistleblower said that he had worked only in executive branch, that he has -- he had a professional tie to Joe Biden.
GREGG JARRETT (FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST): Yeah, there's no question about it. This -- you know, this whole thing stinks like five-day-old fish. It is not a crime and it’s not an impeachable offense for our government or our president to say to another foreign nation, “If you have information about a potential corrupt act by an American public official, please look into it and turn it over to us.” In fact, there's a constitutional duty under the Take Care Clause for the president to do that. Many presidents have done so.
Fox Business host Lou Dobbs: “This is the most precious piece of orchestrated nonsense I have ever seen.”
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From the October 10 edition of Fox Business' Lou Dobbs Tonight
LOU DOBBS (HOST): I love this story. This is the most precious piece of orchestrated nonsense I have ever seen. And the radical dimms, Schiff and the folks, are rolling it out in cartoon fashion.
ED ROLLINS (REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST): Well once they said last night -- his lawyer said he never worked in the campaign, he's a Democrat, he worked in the executive branch. Well, the only candidate in the executive branch -- Biden was the only one in the executive branch. The rest of them were senators or what have you. So, it clearly was Biden's guy.