{"id":36655,"date":"2018-01-05T10:20:57","date_gmt":"2018-01-05T18:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=36655"},"modified":"2018-01-05T10:22:48","modified_gmt":"2018-01-05T18:22:48","slug":"donald-trump-absolutely-believes-in-the-first-amendment-and-wont-rest-until-its-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=36655","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump ‘Absolutely Believes in the First Amendment’ – And Won’t Rest Until It’s Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, so it’s still only the first week of the new year. Nevertheless, the reigning champion of flagrant dishonesty, Donald Trump, is making a strong showing for Lie of the Year 2018. In 2017 PolitiFact “honored”<\/em> him<\/a><\/strong> for his relentless insistence that Russia’s interference in the 2016 election was a hoax. Trump stubbornly maintained that he believed Vladimir Putin’s denials more than the conclusions of every American intelligence agency that investigated the issue.<\/p>\n

\"Donald
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

And now the White House has made a declaration so absurd that it has jumped to the head of the pack for this new year of presidential lies. During the daily briefing, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to comment on Trump’s regard for the First Amendment. She replied that:<\/p>\n

“The President absolutely believes in the First Amendment. But as we\u2019ve said before, the President also believes in making sure that information is accurate before pushing it out as fact when it certainly and clearly is not.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Whenever one asserts their belief in a core constitutional principle, it’s bad form to follow it with “but…”<\/em> And in this case the qualification is outright bizarre. To suggest that Trump gives a damn about “making sure that information is accurate”<\/em> flies in the face of his lie-riddle Twitter feed. He has a deep rooted aversion to the truth and he proves it every day. What’s more, the Washington post has documented almost 2,000 lies<\/a><\/strong> Trump has told since his inauguration.<\/p>\n

The specific lie featured here is especially egregious because Trump’s fealty to the First Amendment has always been a bad joke. After all, Trump has been attacking the free press since he launched his presidential campaign. He routinely refers to it in general terms as “fake news.”<\/em> He has vilified reporters as “liars, sleazy,”<\/em> and “horrible people.”<\/em> And he famously called out the media<\/a><\/strong> in Stalinesque terms as “the enemy of the America people.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The question that drew Sanders’ response was specifically about Trump’s reaction to the new book by Michael Wolff, Fire and Fury<\/a><\/strong>. He had his lawyers threatened to sue the author and his publisher. Included in the threat was a demand that strikes at the heart of the First Amendment. The letter warned<\/a><\/strong> that:<\/p>\n

“Mr. Trump hereby demands that you immediately cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination of the Book.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So the President who “absolutely believes in the First Amendment”<\/em> is attempting to force a journalist to halt publication of a book that is critical of the President. That is such an obvious contradiction in terms that it strains credulity. But it fits neatly into a pattern of oppressive behavior that is typical of Trump. There has never been a president who was more hostile to the First Amendment and those whose profession relies on it. The assertion that he believes in the First Amendment is nothing more than an acknowledgement that it exists. But he clearly regards it as an obstacle to his tyrannical aspirations and is doing everything he can to kill it.<\/p>\n

\n

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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Okay, so it’s still only the first week of the new year. Nevertheless, the reigning champion of flagrant dishonesty, Donald Trump, is making a strong showing for Lie of the Year 2018. In 2017 PolitiFact “honored” him for his relentless insistence that Russia’s interference in the 2016 election was a hoax. Trump stubbornly maintained that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,14,1,1200],"tags":[554,1135,380,1256],"class_list":["post-36655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-censorship","category-free-press","category-general","category-politics","tag-donald-trump","tag-free-press","tag-michael-wolff","tag-sarah-huckabee-sanders"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-time.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4Ijg-9xd","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":66683,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=66683","url_meta":{"origin":36655,"position":0},"title":"Lawrence O’Donnell Calls Out the ‘Stupidest White House Press Corps (and President)’ In History","author":"Mark NC","date":"7\/9\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The devolution of the White House press corps has been one of the most profoundly disturbing and dangerous aspects of the Era of Donald Trump. And it couldn't come at a worse time. As Trump pursues his mission to undermine American principles and rule as an autocratic tyrant, much of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Free Press"","block_context":{"text":"Free Press","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"Donald Trump TV Set","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-tv-set.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-tv-set.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-tv-set.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40157,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=40157","url_meta":{"origin":36655,"position":1},"title":"Stop the Presses: Donald Trump Tells a Flaming Whopper, Takes Journalist ‘Totally Out of Context’","author":"Mark NC","date":"1\/5\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"As Donald Trump warned us all in an ominous Christmas Eve tweet, \"Throughout the ages some things NEVER get better and NEVER change.\" The truth of that is abundantly evident in the tweets that Trump continues to post in this new year. His fetish for an idiotic vanity wall, that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"Donald Trump","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-toilet-golden-tweeting.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-toilet-golden-tweeting.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-toilet-golden-tweeting.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32272,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=32272","url_meta":{"origin":36655,"position":2},"title":"WTF: Fox News Media Critic Says ‘The Press Put Out A Mob Hit On Donald Trump’","author":"Mark NC","date":"8\/9\/2016","format":false,"excerpt":"There is always an unmistakable moment when desperation sets in for people or organizations that are undergoing difficult times. That moment came yesterday for Fox News and their advocacy of Donald Trump. The evidence is the commentary by their media correspondent (video below), Howard Kurtz, who hosts Fox's MediaBuzz, has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Election"","block_context":{"text":"Election","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=152"},"img":{"alt_text":"Godfather","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/godfather.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/godfather.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/godfather.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32801,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=32801","url_meta":{"origin":36655,"position":3},"title":"Top Journalists Warn That Trump Is A ‘Clear And Present Danger’ To The First Amendment","author":"Mark NC","date":"10\/6\/2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Donald Trump's presidential campaign has been rife with insults and attacks. His targets have included women, minorities, veterans, and anyone who dared to criticize him. However, no object of his scorn has been been more aggressively attacked than the media. Trump calls them dummies, losers, scum, and sleazy, and \"jokes\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Censorship"","block_context":{"text":"Censorship","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=56"},"img":{"alt_text":"Donald Trump","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-media-scrum.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-media-scrum.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-media-scrum.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31843,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=31843","url_meta":{"origin":36655,"position":4},"title":"Crybaby Trump Revokes The Washington Post’s Press Credentials In A Childish Tantrum","author":"Mark NC","date":"6\/13\/2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Tough-talking Donald Trump has proven again that his macho image is as phony as a diploma from Trump University. Within a couple of hours of his first post-Orlando speech, wherein he ranted about the evils of \"radical Islamic terrorism\" and the traitors who refuse to say those three magic words,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Election"","block_context":{"text":"Election","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=152"},"img":{"alt_text":"Donald Trump Crybaby","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-no-credentials.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-no-credentials.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-no-credentials.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35873,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=35873","url_meta":{"origin":36655,"position":5},"title":"What Wannabe Dictator Trump Just called Freedom of the Press is ‘Disgusting’","author":"Mark NC","date":"10\/11\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was first for a reason. It incorporates some of the most cherished and essential principles to maintaining America's experiment in democracy. Among them is the explicit protection of freedom of the press. The Constitution doesn't say anything about liking it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Free Press"","block_context":{"text":"Free Press","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"Donald Trump","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-time.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-time.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/trump-time.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36655"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36659,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36655\/revisions\/36659"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}