Thursday, June 17, 2021

Trump’s Supposed Press ‘Scandal’ Is Nothing Compared to Obama

WikiLeaks document purloined from the global intelligence firm Stratfor in 2010 claimed that Obama’s all-purpose fixer John Brennan was “behind the witch hunts of investigative journalists learning information from inside the beltway sources.”

The American Spectator

Obama was “the worst president ever on issues of national security and press freedom.”

"Big Media finds itself in something of a pickle. According to the Guardian, for instance, the Trump administration is mired in a “growing scandal.” Normally, this would be a welcome bit of information in most of the world’s newsrooms, but not so much this time.

Amazon

"Allegedly, the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) engaged in the “secret surveillance of journalists and even members of Congress in the waning days of the Trump presidency.” These journalists have responded with “scathing condemnations.” From the media’s perspective, this would seem to be the best news since Brian Sicknick died, but there’s a catch.

"As the Guardian acknowledges in an opinion piece by Trevor Timm, “Before Trump, Obama’s justice department did more to hurt press freedom than any administration since Nixon.” There’s a further semantic catch, but first a word on Obama’s record. As even the Guardian admits, whatever Trump did, it was small beer compared to Obama’s mischief.

"As reported in May 2013 by the Washington Post, Obama’s Department of Justice had been monitoring the comings and goings of James Rosen, then with Fox News, since 2010. What most troubled the Post and other media about the DOJ was the use of search warrants to investigate a reporter and the threat to prosecute him under the terms of Espionage Act as an “as an aider, abettor and/or co-conspirator.” 

"Rosen was not the only one who had been tracked. The Post reported that federal investigators had obtained records covering two months of more than 20 telephone lines assigned to the Associated Press. “Search warrants like these have a severe chilling effect on the free flow of important information to the public,” First Amendment lawyer Charles Tobin told the Post. “That’s a very dangerous road to go down.”

"Easily the most dogged of the mainstream journalists during Obama’s first term was Sharyl Attkisson. “Goddammit, Sharyl!” Obama flack Eric Schultz was reported to have yelled at her. “The Washington Post is reasonable, the L.A. Times is reasonable, the New York Times is reasonable, you’re the only one who’s not reasonable!” Then with CBS News, Attkisson paid for her persistence in helping break the Fast and Furious story and exposing the lies surrounding Benghazi." . . .

Posted in the comments to the above by Trever  Quote:

"Hmmmm… Obama said:"   

“I am proud of the fact that we will — knock on wood — leave this administration without significant scandal.”

Really? Obama’s administration had no scandals?

2009 — Obama Attorney General Holder refused to prosecute New Black Panther for voter intimidation.

2009 — Obama gave a preposterous hero’s welcome for deserter Bowe Bergdahl.

2009 — James Rosen, a FOX reporter, was falsely accused of spying.

2010 — The Fast and Furious gun fiasco.

2010 — Concerning Obamacare, Obama lied about cost and keeping your plan and doctor.

2011 — The Solyndra stumble squandered a very expensive government subsidy.

2012 — Obama lied about the terrorist attack in Benghazi.

2012 – Obama used alias email ID to communicate with Hillary on her illegal server.

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