{"id":33162,"date":"2016-11-18T12:43:34","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T20:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=33162"},"modified":"2016-11-19T13:00:33","modified_gmt":"2016-11-19T21:00:33","slug":"fox-news-white-washes-racist-past-of-trumps-attorney-general-nominee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=33162","title":{"rendered":"Fox News ‘White’ Washes Racist Past Of Trump’s Attorney General Nominee"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Trump transition marches on with another name being floated for a prominent role. This time it’s Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (R-AL) who is reportedly being tapped for Attorney General. Jeff Sessions would join white nationalist Stephen Bannon and religious bigot Michael Flynn in Donald Trump’s inner circle.<\/p>\n

\"Jeff
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The choice of Sessions is perfectly aligned with Trump’s well-documented record of prejudice and division. But it’s not particularly suited for leadership of the Justice Department which is responsible for enforcing civil rights laws. Prior to his senate service, Sessions was a U.S. attorney and attorney general in Alabama. He was nominated by President Reagan for a seat on the federal bench, but failed to receive confirmation from a majority Republican senate. Among the reasons were his criticisms of the NAACP as un-American and communist-inspired. He also referred to a black lawyer as “boy,”<\/em> and called white attorneys who defended black clients “race traitors.”<\/em> No wonder former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke tweeted his support saying:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrDavidDuke\/status\/799624219831058432<\/p>\n

Ordinarily, this sort of behavior would be disqualifying for a high profile government post. But in the Age of Trump there are no depths too low for an aspiring public figure to sink. Trump himself has engaged in the most abhorrent forms of hate-speech<\/a><\/strong> aimed at African-Americans, women, Muslims, and others. And throughout it all, Fox News was there to tidy up his bigotry and re-frame it as bold, straight talk.<\/p>\n

That’s exactly what happened Friday morning on Fox & Friends when guest host Ed Henry interviewed Trump advisor Brad Blakeman. Predictably impressed, Blakeman said that Trump “couldn’t pick a better candidate”<\/em> than Sessions. He lauded the Senator as:<\/p>\n

“…a guy who is steeped in the law, got an excellent reputation, was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981 to be the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, served for more than a decade, then became the attorney general thereafter of Alabama, and then the U.S. Senator. So he’s got a stellar record.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Henry deftly dodged the substance of Blakeman’s glowing tribute to Sessions. Instead, he diverted to unrelated questions about Republican frustration with Democratic AG’s Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. But for some reason Henry ignored the glaring omissions in Blakeman’s revisionist history.<\/p>\n

An ethical journalist would have pointed out that Sessions was rejected for a judgeship due to blatantly racist behavior. That information is directly relevant to the duties of the Attorney General who has jurisdiction over the federal justice administration. But on Fox News it is potentially damaging to their mission of right-wing propaganda. Consequently, it’s left out of the discussion and their viewers remain blissfully ignorant. So even in the Age of Trump, some things never change.<\/p>\n

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How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
\nFox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.<\/a>
\nAvailable now at Amazon.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n