Welcome to week four of “This Week In Fake News!” Links to previous editions can be found here.
Remember, this is a cumulative count, so we are starting with number 77. Thanks to another 37 lies, we now know that in just 4 weeks, the MSM has fired off a whopping 114 pieces of Fake News!
Moreover, this last week was super-duper-extra-special. For the past three editions, we have only had to deal with the standard fire hose of the MSM’s Fake News. This time, however, we are forced to debunk a number of Big Lies — lies told on an existential level, unsubstantiated innuendo relentlessly spewed in an effort to turn falsehoods into conventional wisdom.
The Big Lies are labeled accordingly and at the top. Let’s begin there…
77. BIG LIE: The MSM Is Not The Enemy of the American People
After President Trump accurately pointed out that key pillars within the national media truly are the “enemy of the American people,” much of that very same media fell right into Trump’s trap with a litany of smug, self-referential denials.
The fact that the national media — an institution that spreads hate, lies, and violence — is the enemy of the American people, is not even debatable:
“4 Reasons the Media Is Our Enemy and Trump Is Justified In Saying So.”
And let’s not forget about those so-called “journalists” making direct death threats against our president.
78. BIG LIE: Chuck Todd Claims that Trump Criticizing the MSM is “Un-American”
1. The MSM can only delegitimize itself (which it has).
2. Criticizing a powerful, corporate-run institution, like the MSM, is as AMERICAN as it gets.
3. The President of the United States does not lose his 1st Amendment privileges after taking the Oath of Office.
79. BIG LIE: Trump Is Trying to Suppress Media Freedom and the First Amendment
So, just hours after Trump stood before the entire White House Press Corps, and did so for nearly 80 minutes while taking every single one of their questions, he is accused of suppressing press freedom??? That’s just stupid.
Also, everyone should watch this video.
Final point: The only fascists attempting to suppress speech are those declaring media criticism off-limits and “un-American.”
80. BIG LIE: Jake Tapper Claims Trump Presser Was “Unhinged”
Although Trump’s demeanor during his 80-minute press conference was objectively jovial and calm, CNN’s Jake Tapper falsely claimed the President was “unhinged.” Last week, Tapper described Trump as “unmoored.” Jake Tapper is not a medical expert.
What the Emperor of Fake News is doing here is intentionally building on a Fake News narrative that Trump is insane, and therefore dangerous, and therefore a serious threat, and therefore someone who must be dealt with.
It is all part of an insidious plan to create a Climate of Fear and Hate around Trump — what I call assassination dogwhistles.
81. BIG LIE: CNN’s Brian Stelter, Jake Tapper Declare Trump Insane
What CNN is doing here (with the help of aging conspiracy theorist Andrew Sullivan and Senator Al Franken) is beyond dangerous. My piece from last week…
Later on Saturday, CNN’s Brian Stelter interviewed conspiracy-theorist Sullivan for ten full minutes. Never once did Stelter challenge Sullivan or bring up Sullivan’s debunked conspiracy theories. In fact, Stelter bought completely into the premise that Trump is dangerous and crazy and lamented the fact that more in the media are not furthering this conspiracy.
By the way, Stelter calls his program “Reliable Sources.”
Then, on CNN Sunday morning, the most insidious piece fell into place. America’s Emperor of Fake News, Jake Tapper, hosted Senator Franken and never once challenged his conspiracy theory about Trump’s mental stability. In fact, Tapper accepted the premise.
P.S. No one in this Fake News cabal is a medical expert, nor do any of them report consulting with one.
82. MSM Lies About Geert Wilders Calling All Moroccan Migrants “Scum”
Example — CNN headline: Wilders calls Moroccan immigrants ‘scum’
Truth: Wilders only called Moroccan scum “Moroccan scum.” He also added that “not all are scum.”
The hysterical claim that he uniformly declared all Moroccan immigrants scum is a fat lie.
83. CNN and New York Times Lie About Trump Claiming Sweden Was Hit With Terror Attack
During his rally in Florida Friday night, Trump said the following:
Here’s the bottom line, we’ve got to keep our country safe. You look at what’s happening. We’ve got to keep our country safe. You look at what’s happening in Germany. You look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden! Who would believe this? Sweden! They took in large numbers, they’re having problems like they never thought possible. [emphasis mine]
From that, among many others, some members of our lying MSM, like Maggie Haberman of The New York Times, falsely claimed that Trump lied about a terror attack in Sweden “last night.”
Here is video of a CNN chyron lying about it:
While there is no question that what Trump said was confusing, to jump to the conclusion that he was trying to lie about a non-existent terror attack is beyond outrageous and yet another example of “the enemy of the American people” deliberately using confusion to spread lies and Fake News.
Trump later explained that his “last night” reference pertained to a segment about Sweden immigration problems that aired on Fox News. Everyone knew this, but CNN and Haberman and the rest pretended not to.
84. MSM Lies About Sweden NOT Having a Massive Migrant Problem
After the MSM was busted lying about the above terror attack, they changed tactics and accused Trump of lying about Sweden having a migrant problem.
Trump is 100% correct about Sweden’s migrant problems.
The problems over there are massive.
85. PolitiFact Anti-Trump Lie #1!
The Left-wing Lie Machine known as PolitiFact falsely claimed that Trump took Thomas Jefferson out of context when he recited Jefferson’s quote about the awfulness of the media. PowerLine explains:
Those statements, while certainly more pro-newspaper, are not a “different opinion” from Jefferson’s judgment twenty years later that “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper.” And, in any event, Jefferson’s saying something different on another occasion does not render Trump’s quotation “out of context,” misleading, or in any way inappropriate.
86. PolitiFact Anti-Trump Lie #2!
PolitiFact claims Trump lied about saving the F-35 contract with Lockheed Martin. As PowerLine explains, it is PolitiFact that is lying, not Trump…
So Lockheed Martin agrees with Trump. Politifact argues that the savings were already in the pipeline, and that per-aircraft costs would be expected to decline as production ramps up, which may be part of what is going on here. So they argue that Trump shouldn’t really get all the credit. Fine. That is the Democratic Party’s perspective. But to say Trump is “mostly false” when he precisely echoes Lockheed Martin’s account is ridiculous.
87. PolitiFact Anti-Trump Lie #3!
PolitiFact called Trump a liar over his 100% true claim that polls show an increase in optimism since his election win. In order to declare Trump a liar, PolitiFact points to polls that… have… nothing.. to… do… with… optimism. PowerLine again:
So what? Those polls don’t contradict Trump’s statement about optimism. Again, Policifact simply presents the Democratic Party’s contrary perspective–one could say, the Democrats’ alternative facts–to conclude that Trump is “spinning.” Here, Trump told the truth, and Politifact spun.
88. PolitiFact Anti-Trump Lie #4!
PolitiFact calls Trump a liar for saying (truthfully) that his administration’s refugee pause targets “countries picked by Obama.” In order to declare Trump a liar, PolitiFact says that Trump went further than Obama in instituting the pause. The indispensible PowerLine again:
But no one said that Trump’s order was the same as one already promulgated by Obama. That would really be a scoop! Of course Trump’s order went farther; that was the point. All Trump said was that the seven countries covered by his order were “picked by Obama” as “countries of concern.” Which is true.
89. Washington Post Misleads About ICE Detaining Woman Seeking Protection from Domestic Abuse
This Washington Post headline is all about ginning up hate against TrumpHitler:
Here’s the truth about this dangerous and criminal illegal alien — which is buried by WaPo under nearly 17 paragraphs of sophistry:
According to the affidavit, I.E.G. has a criminal and immigration history that dates back to 2010 and includes numerous deportations and arrests for assault, violating probation, domestic violence, false imprisonment and possession of stolen mail.
Buh-bye!
90. Washington Post Lies About 18 Million Losing Insurance Under ObamaCare Repeal
Actually, that number is more like 2.7 million. The rest are on Medicaid.
91. New York Times Caught Recycling Same Phony Anti-Trump Headline Over and Over and Over
Good catch by The New York Post. On three different occasions, over three different days, the left-wing New York Times published screaming headlines about the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russia. And waaaay below those screaming headlines is always the news that the Trump campaign did absolutely nothing wrong.
92. CBS News Pretends Usual-Usual Layoffs of Political Appointees Means Something
This is an example of the media furthering a chaos/Trump-Is-Mean narrative as the administration does the usual-usual work of laying off Obama staffers.
93. AP Lies About Trump Using 100K National Guard Troops to Round Up Illegals
Truly, truly the height of Fake News.
Naturally, liars like CBS News, ABC News, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post ran like crazy with this bald-faced lie.
94. Wall Street Journal Lies About Intel Community Holding Back Info From Trump
95. National Public Radio Lies — Claims Hillary Did Not Receive Questions Before CNN Debates
This is a bald-faced lie and everyone knows it. A CNN staffer did give Hillary Clinton debate questions in advance.
96. ProPublica Reporter Michael Grabell Lies About Trump Phone Call
What is wrong with these Fake News addicts?
97. NBC New Claims Lie About First Lady Melania Trump Is a ‘Rumor’
A New York Times reporter was overheard calling First Lady Melania Trump a “hooker.” He later apologized, but NBC News now claims he was “spreading a rumor,” as opposed to telling a proven lie:
98. New York Times Publishes Fake Mike Flynn Tweets as Real Tweets
Legions and legions of fact-checkers, y’all.
Did you know, some people actually pay money to read the failing New York Times?
99. New Republic Claims Trump Has STD, Which Is Why He’s Crazy
Lie.
100. Media Lies About Trump’s Refugee Pause Ensnaring American-born Olympian
The problem with this particular news cycle is that Muhammad was detained in 2016, weeks before Trump had even been sworn in as America’s 45th president.
Whoops.
101. Journalists Botch Yet-Another Anti-Trump Fact Check
Trump tweeted at 8:35 am on Feb. 10, “The failing @nytimes does major FAKE NEWS China story saying ‘Mr.Xi has not spoken to Mr. Trump since Nov.14.’ We spoke at length yesterday!”
Members of the press pounced, and many tried to fact-check Trump’s tweet with screen grabs from the updated online version of the Times’ story.
But the facts here lean more in Trump’s favor.
The Friday print edition claimed incorrectly that the president hadn’t spoken with Xi. The president responded Friday morning to the story. Journalists then tried to “gotcha” Trump with the online edition of the report, but fact-checking him with the retroactively updated online version of a story that appeared differently in print doesn’t seem the way to go.
The online edition of the Times’ story carries no editor’s note or clarification noting that it has undergone significant changes.
102. Politico Reporter Lies About Trump Backing “Gang of 8” Immigration Bill
The following is completely untrue:
103. Media Lie About Trump’s Dad Producing Racist Political Ads
More media lies exposed by the Washington Examiner:
The claim took off in press circles on Feb. 9.
The Facts: The ads mentioned in Blumenthal’s essay for the London Review of Books are fakes. Fred Trump never ran for NYC mayor, he never had commercials made up for him and the videos mentioned by Blumenthal were created and posted online last year by an art project group called the “Historical Paroxysm.”
The group specializes in producing “found footage from alternate realities.”
104. Media Lies About “Yemen Withdraws Permission for U.S. Antiterror Ground Missions”
The Washington Examiner reports that no less than The New York Times and CBS News ran with this lie.
105. CNN Lies About Sean Spicer Receiving “Several” SuperSoakers from Staffers
No lie is too small for CNN, which tells you all you need to know about the big ones:
106. Senior Editor at The Atlantic Lies About Trump Confessing to Sexual Assault
Maybe someone could teach David Frum about the definition of the world “allowed?”
107. Univision Lies About Congress Allowing Mentally Ill to Purchase Firearms
The left-wing Spanish-language network Univision falsely reported that Congress had just repealed a law that keeps guns out of the hands of the mentally disturbed.
108. More Lies From CNN About “False Claims of Voter Fraud”
We have debunked this lie from CNN countless times.
There is a ton of evidence about massive vote fraud.
109. ABC News Lies About No Evidence of Vote Fraud
ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos goes the full-CNN spreading the lie that there is no evidence of vote fraud.
110. Washington Post Fact-Checker Caught Lying About Trump Surrogate
The Washington Post fact-checker, the most dishonest group of people I have ever personally dealt with, played one of their most infamous tricks on Trump’s senior policy advisor, Stephen Miller.
Miller correctly stated the facts in a study. In order to call Miller a liar, the serial-liars at WaPo pretended to debunk the study. But even if you buy their debunking (no one does), to call Miller a liar for telling the truth about what was in the study is itself a lie, and a shameless one.
Miller didn’t lie. Those numbers were in that study.
The Daily Caller’s debunking of this fact check is as good as it gets.
111. Washington Post Insinuates Anti-Semitic Valentine Came From College Republicans
A report about the matter from the Washington Post published Thursday was interpreted as news that “College Republicans at Central Michigan University made anti-semitic valentines joking about burning 6,000[sic] Jews,” in the words of a New York University professor, which were shared widely. “Is it just me or has Trump’s election made anti-Semitism acceptable among Republicans?” was one prominent question, apropos the professor’s tweet. Others raised similar points.
College Republicans had absolutely nothing to do with it. The Washington Post has not yet clarified their misleading reporting.
112. ABC News Pretends Trump Criticizing Judiciary Could Get Judges Hurt
More propaganda meant to silence Trump. You see, if he criticizes the only branch of government the media doesn’t want criticized, it is DANGEROUS.
Utter nonsense. Total Fake News. Bullying fascism.
113. Media Freaks Over Trump ICE Raids … Planned Before Trump’s Executive Order
For nearly two days, the MSM completely over-hyped ICE (doing its normal job) as some sort of souped-up Nazification of Trump’s America.
Sorry, nope.
114. JOURNALISM STUDENTS Spread Lie Trump Tweeted During Yemen Raid
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See, I thought I would leave you with some Fake News being spread by journalism students. Be prepared, because the new boss is going to be exactly like the old boss.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.