Mainstream Media Duplicity
Hypocrisy Has Reached a New Height.
Ever since the Pentagon Papers, we have been lectured by our moral betters in the Media that transparency and disclosure are the life-blood of democracy. That principle often requires the publication of unlawful leaks of government information from anonymous sources.
The Media is still coasting on the fumes of its Watergate glory years - - hell, Tom Hank is making movies about it in 2018.
From the moment of Trump’s election, the past year and a half has been consumed with an unending stream of anonymous leaks to the Media. As the Washington Post proudly reminds us: “Democracy Dies In Darkness.” As the New York Times reminds us: “The Truth Is More Important Now Than Ever.”
And the need to get information out there to the public, when it concerns overreach in matters of national security or domestic surveillance by the FBI, is all the more imperative for a crusading journalist. The motto in journalism school is Trust the Public. Don’t let the government hide behind its penchant for secrecy. Sunshine is the best disinfectant, right?
Wrong. Not if the information being released helps a Republican. Anonymous leaks are fine; indeed, they’re the gold standard of brave reportage. But when Congress votes to release (not leak) a report in accordance with the law, suddenly - - it’s misleading. It’s partisan. It’s manipulated. It’s out of context. It’s wrong. It’s disgraceful. It’s an attack on the brave men and women in law enforcement. It’s a desperation ploy. It’s an effort to change the subject. It’s a distraction. It’s an attack on Mueller. It’s an attack on the independence of the Justice Department. It compromises sources and methods.
So, What About The Memo?
The Nunes memo confirms two things that were suspected. First, the Department of Justice and the FBI submitted the Fusion GPS/Steele dossier to the FISA Court to obtain multiple warrants for electronic surveillance of the Trump campaign.
Second, the DOJ and the FBI did not disclose to the FISA Court the role of the DNC, the Clinton campaign, or anyone else who funded the Steele effort; i.e., that it was material produced by people with partisan motive and a partisan axe to grind, and that the DOJ and FBI did not verify the contents.
Let’s pretend the parties were reversed. Imagine that the FBI eavesdropped on Hillary Clinton’s campaign officials because of research by Breibart and Sebastian Gorka, and then withheld the source of that information from the FISA Court when they sought a warrant. The reaction from Left-Media Hive Mind would be thermonuclear rage, and rightly so. We don’t want the power of federal law enforcement and the intelligence agencies being exploited for partisan objective.
