President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pompeo’s battle with National Public Radio and tweeted out more media criticism, one target familiar and the other less so.
Trump introduced Pompeo at an East Room announcement of the administration’s Mideast peace plan, saying it was “very impressive” that he got a standing ovation from the White House workers and guests.
“That reporter couldn’t have done too good a job on you,” the president said. “I think you did a good job on her, actually.”
https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1222219707543101441?s=20
NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly angered Pompeo with a short interview Friday, then he reportedly berated her afterward in his office. The State Department then announced Monday that NPR reporter Michele Kelemen would not be allowed on Pompeo’s upcoming trip to Europe and Central Asia; NPR had no immediate comment on the president’s remarks on Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, the president tweeted an insult at CNN’s Don Lemon, who received some criticism in conservative media for hosting a segment over the weekend where two of his guests made fun of the “rube demo” that backed Trump.
Trump also tweeted criticism of his favorite network, Fox News Channel, for “trying to be ‘politically correct’” by having a Democratic senator discuss impeachment on the network. He also said Fox’s Chris Wallace, who on Monday challenged a Fox contributor for not having her facts straight in a discussion about impeachment witnesses, shouldn’t be on the network.
“What the hell has happened to Fox News?” Trump tweeted. “Only I know!
(AP)
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2 Responses
This administration is anti first amendment. Pompeo is the dishonorable liar in this episode.
RT lies through his lying teeth, as usual. The administration is very pro-first amendment. It has done nothing at all to harm the first amendment, and much to strengthen it.
Perhaps RT is trying to promote the arrogant pretense by some reporters that they have a special status, that the first amendment gives them some sort of privileged position, and makes them different from ordinary people. They try to convince ignorant people that when the amendment protects “the freedom of speech or of the press” it refers to them. Based on this they even refer to themselves as a “fourth estate”, though not one in twenty of them can name the first three.
This is completely false. The “freedom of speech or of the press” means the right to say or publish whatever one likes. It is a right that every person has equally. Reporters are not special, and do not have more of this freedom than anyone else. They have no special right of access to government officials, let alone to ride on government aircraft, and they certainly have no right to be free of the same criticism they feel free to heap on others.