ALL THE NEWS THAT’S FIT TO FAKE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jcy0ZxlE0f8

The New York Times recycled from March Wednesday (5/17) a false story intended to inflame Trump/Russia hysteria.

“Trump Team Knew Flynn Was Under Investigation Before He Came to the White House,” the headline said.

“In a letter dated Nov. 30, the Justice Department notified Mr. Flynn that it was scrutinizing his lobbying work,” the Times said.

Flynn was appointed National Security Adviser Nov. 17.  How, might one ask, does Nov. 30 come before Nov. 17?

To see how low the “mainstream” media have sunk, let’s unpack the New York Times story from the day before (5/16) that may have led to the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel.

“President Trump asked (FBI Director James Comey) to shut down the federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser… according to a memo Mr. Comey wrote shortly after the meeting,” wrote reporter Michael Schmidt.

Schmidt never saw the memo.  As you can see in the video clip above, MSNBC’s Brian Williams asks Schmidt, “Why is it that the (New York) Times has the story but not the memo?”  Schmidt’s answer: “Someone that had seen them recounted details to me…”

Yep, the motto of the illustrious New York Times is now “All the news that’s fit to fake.”

The memo is handwritten, two pages long, Schmidt said later.

Back in the days when journalists had standards, it would have been clear Schmidt didn’t have a story unless and until (a) he had a copy of the memo, or (b) he had an on the record quote from Comey himself verifying what the memo said.

The memo wasn’t very long. Why didn’t Mr. Comey’s associate read Schmidt the whole thing?

Why didn’t Schmidt ask Comey’s “associate” to fax him a copy? If Schmidt asked, and the “associate” wouldn’t, what reason did he give for refusing?

Schmidt’s story indicates the “associate” isn’t in the FBI. It’s understandable that Comey, or the FBI, would have the memo. Why would someone who isn’t in the FBI have a copy?

The memo is unclassified, Schmidt said. Since he never saw it, how does he know?

“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Trump allegedly told Comey. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”

That’s hardly the unambiguous attempt to get Comey to shut down an investigation Schmidt asserted in his lede. Law professors Elizabeth Price Foley and Jonathan Turley explain here and here why this wasn’t “obstruction of justice.”

Charges of obstruction of justice almost always are brought for interference in a criminal investigation. The FBI is conducting a counterintelligence investigation. Dan McLaughlin explains the difference here.

The target of the FBI investigation is Russia, not Trump. The “mainstream” media constantly mislead on this

If Comey really thought Trump was trying to obstruct justice, he had an affirmative duty to report it. Failure to do so is a felony (18 USC 4, 28 USC 1361), punishable by up to three years in prison. If he were a real journalist instead of a partisan hack, Schmidt would have mentioned this.

And if Schmidt weren’t a partisan hack, he’d have reported that both Comey and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe testified under oath nobody interfered with the investigation.

“If anti-Trump bombshells were the result of nothing but good reporting, no one would be waiting for them to drop at the same time each day,” said Mollie Hemingway.

Byron York, the Federalist and the Wall Street Journal offer excellent reasons why appointment of a special counsel is bad idea.

But given the hysteria the Lying Swine have whipped up, appointing a special counsel may be best – or least worst – for President Trump.

Robert Mueller is more likely to be fair than Comey or McCabe.

Mueller’s appointment may quiet down, for a time, the left wing feeding frenzy. They’re prepared to throw him under the bus if he doesn’t find what they want him to find. But they can’t do that yet.

Mueller’s appointment is shutting down the Senate Intelligence Committee “investigation,” likely will postpone indefinitely any public testimony from Comey.

“Buzzfeed Ben” Smith, who published the phony Steele dossier, already is fretting about this.

Philip Rucker, Washington Post White House bureau chief, noted with concern that Mueller’s law firm represents Ivanka and Jared.

Here’s what the Fake News Media is afraid of:  Mueller’s authority is broad enough to investigate leakers, Fusion GPS and the phony Steele dossier, Comey, Brennan, Susan Rice, Sally Yates, et al.

If President Trump has done nothing wrong – there is no evidence he did – Mueller will exonerate him. Probably.

Jack Wheeler is absolutely right in “Truth to Power”. We must go on the offensive. But there’ll be no indictments of the kind Jack asks for unless Mueller or the DOJ seeks them. It’s up to us – you and me – to go on the offensive.

I’ve long considered the Lying Swine to be our most dangerous domestic enemies. Their unhinged, fact-free, often recycled attacks on Trump reek of desperation.

“There is something very significant happening outside of D.C.,” said Richard Grenell. “People are tuning the media out. Credibility is largely gone.”

Salena Zito, the only “mainstream” journalist who talks to normal people, agrees.

We should use the period of relative quiet to erode further the credibility of the Lying Swine.

According to this Pew poll, only 11 percent of Republicans  “have confidence in the national media to report news accurately.”

Who are those idiots of the 11%? Are any of them friends of yours? Relatives? Coworkers? The best thing you can do to help President Trump is to straighten them out.

And you should engage the Lying Swine on Twitter, Facebook, in emails to their bosses. Call them out on their lies.

Engage with facts, not invective. Don’t call them names. Laugh at them. It’ll bruise their egos more.

Here’s a suggestion of where to start.  Contact the New York Times to request that Michael Schmidt and his editors be fired for “obstruction of journalism.”

That the New York Times cease its degeneration into a sleazy propaganda tabloid and start practicing honest journalism once again.  After all, aren’t they embarrassed that, at the New York Times, “honest journalism” has become an oxymoron?

Jack Kelly is a former Marine and Green Beret, and was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force during the Reagan Administration.  Until his retirement in January 2017, he was the national security writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.