Fox News Defends Trump’s State-Sponsored Political Extortion as Just ‘The Art of the Deal’

The news that Donald Trump may have promised the president of Ukraine hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid if he would open a bogus investigation into Joe Biden has captured the attention of the press. And rightfully so. This would amount to state-sponsored extortion by Trump in order to smear a political opponent. And it wouldn’t even be the first time that Trump has conspired with a foreign country to steal an election (see: Russia, 2016).

Donald Trump, Fox News, White House

As this scandal continues to build steam, Trump is managing to get himself into even more hot water. In a press avail with the Prime Minister of Australia, Trump gave contradictory answers about what he knew about the affair. In fact, when asked if he read the report he contradicted himself in the space of a single sentence saying, “No I haven’t. I just – I tell you, everybody’s read it. They laugh at it.” He went on to attack the press, as usual, saying that “Our media has become the laughingstock of the world […] You’re a joke.” Which only proves that he is pitifully incapable of recognizing who the world is actually laughing at.

In the midst of this unfolding melodrama, Fox News is adopting their routine position as Trump-fluffing propaganda disseminators. And taking the lead is Trump’s favorite morning show, Fox and Friends. Their defense of Trump is a bizarre spectacle of ludicrous justifications for Trump’s potentially treasonous behavior (video below). Co-host Steve Doocy began by telling his dimwitted viewers to…

“Keep in mind this whistleblower filed this report with the inspector general of the Intel community on August the 12th. That was over a month ago. Then they kicked it around, sent it to the Department of Justice, and said ‘We do not have to hand it over to Congress.'”

First of all, it is entirely improper for the Justice Department to interfere in this process in any way. It negates the whole purpose of the Whistleblower Protection Act if the President’s henchmen (Attorney General William Barr, et al) can suppress information provided in good faith by insiders concerned about national security. And it endangers the welfare of the whistleblower whose identity is disclosed to people who have motive to retaliate.

That said, after having improperly interfered, the Justice Department has no authority to rule that the complaint can’t be turned over to Congress. The law says unambiguously that it “shall” be turned over. So the Justice Department is wrong, and Fox News is wrong to excuse this breach of the law. But Doocy wasn’t finished. He continued…

“The reason the whistleblower apparently said that it was ‘serious’ and ‘urgent’ is because that designation usually automatically triggers it getting to Congress. The Department of Justice says that that is not appropriate, so we don’t have to give it to the Committee. Well, somebody with knowledge of this person’s story didn’t like the fact that Congress wasn’t gonna get it and it wasn’t gonna become public. So they leaked the story to the Washington Post.”

Again, none of this is the Justice Department’s call. But Doocy is also introducing something that was never a part of this. He implies that somebody wanted this to become public. But had the complaint been turned over to Congress, they would have reviewed it privately. The only reason any of this is becoming public is because the process was breached by the administration.

It’s ironic that Fox News is more worried about this complaint leaking than the substance of the complaint which is Trump’s attempts to extort and/or bribe a foreign country and to pressure them into aiding his election fraud. But if you thought that Fox was bothered by any of that, here’s what Doocy’s co-host Ainsley Earhardt had to say about it:

“They say the President was making promises, leaking delicate information to another heads of state. But this is what they do. They talk. They negotiate. And the President’s known for that. The art of the deal. Who’s leaking this? Is it someone that works at the White House?”

So to Fox News this is standard operating procedure in negotiations. They consider it acceptable for Trump to bully foreign leaders into manufacturing political dirt on his opponents. They regard it as simple dealmaking, despite the fact that there are no components of this deal that are in the interests of the United States. It is a purely hostile swipe at Biden, who Trump expects to run against next year. So Earhardt is defending dealmaking that is only intended to disrupt an election. But then again, that’s what Fox News does every day. Disrupting elections by airing distortions and lies is the whole reason Fox News exists.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Advertisement:

6 thoughts on “Fox News Defends Trump’s State-Sponsored Political Extortion as Just ‘The Art of the Deal’

  1. And don’t forget Jesse Dirty Watters:

    Jesse: [Trump] has complete latitude as a commander-in-chief to ask a foreign country to investigate some corruption. We do it with the Chinese. We do it to with the Mexicans. All the time.

    Juan Williams: I’m sure the president’s pleased with your presentation, you can stop now.

    Fox host calls Trump whistleblower a “snake” and the complaint a “coup”

    Not happening, Juan. And, of course, the FoxPods called Obama a traitor whenever HE exerted his “complete latitude as a commander-in-chief.”

    So, of course, once again, only the FoxPods’ Beloved God Tyrant is permitted to commit treason….

  2. Jesse Dirty Watters is oh so wrong!
    The Trump-Chump has NO right to offer big bribe to a foreign nation, pressuring them to try & find (or create) some dubious “dirt” on person he thinks will be his opponent for re-election next year. That is conspiring to commit election fraud! (Hmmm…. Why does that idea sound so familiar?) It’s obvious that Trump thinks it’s OK to do that, since HE initiated it! His pals at Fox think so too, saying it’s the “Art of the Deal” & Trump’s “known for that”. (So it’s just SOP then?) That he doesn’t think laws apply to him is no surprise ~ illegal, is just part of that “Art” he uses, right?!
    Could have at least paid for bribe with his own dang money! But NO…wants US to pay for it ~ $100’s of mill. in Tax Dollars. Isn’t he costing us more than enough already?! Now, thinks we should pay his bribes too?! SRSLY!
    In DJT’s voice:
    “Most Expensive President Ever!!!”

    J. D. Watters says that we do it with Mexico & with China. All the time. Well, thanks alot.
    Now we have to look into that too!

    There are 2 issues here: 1a.) Trump’s attempt to bribe Ukraine to find some “dirt” on Biden, to use in 2020 campaign. (Cheating in U.S. election?! Again?!?)
    No consequences for 2016, or anything else he’s done since, so don’t act surprised.
    b.) Attempting to bribe Ukraine & using OUR TAX $$ — should add a separate charge, like “misuse of taxpayer $” .
    2.) IG & AG Barr were going to “bury it” for Trump’s benefit & no one would ever know – not even Congress!
    * ONLY reason we know at all is person gave info to Wash. Post when saw IG & AG not going to do anything!
    * This is why we must have AG who works for USA, not for Trump & why AG Barr MUST resign, or be removed, immediately! Loyalty & Oath taken, is to this Country, not to person!
    * Barr’s BS summary of Mueller Report & now, this?! — A smart person has to wonder ~ “What else??” ~ have they covered up, buried & kept from Congress & US citizens/voters?!!

  3. Look, it’s OK for the President* to break the law, have his minions do his treasonous work for him, because, well, the Constitution says he can do anything he wants to…he’s a king, understand? Anybody who questions that will get locked up…

  4. I think the whistle blower is Dan Coates. When his name comes to light look for William Barr to charge him with crimes against Trump, er , I mean against the state(see I fixed it). This orange buffoon needs to go and any Republican who does not stand up for what is right(the whistle blower) needs to go too!

  5. More like the art of bending over and taking up the a*s, from dump. More like the art of the swallow.

  6. Sure hope that was a “tongue in cheek”, snarky reply & you don’t really believe that.
    Only ones who should be “locked up” are the Anti-American, haters & wanna’ be despots, determined to take all power & destroy our country! And a few of their nasty cronies who are helping DJT get away with this crap!

Comments are closed.