In case you have not heard the esteemed superstar HOF journalist Carl Bernstein has a new column out about President Trump. It is a scathing rebuke on the manner the President conducts himself on calls with world leaders. He draws up a list of accusations that amount to the President serving as a grievous threat to the county with a never-ending string of behavior that constantly puts our national security in jeopardy.
This is not to say that Bernstein’s column is in any ways accurate. While citing about a dozen policy officials and mentioning members from several high ranking positions he has quotes from absolutely no one on the record.
After setting it up by telling us Trump acts on the phone in the exact same manner we see from him in all other aspects (hint – this is not a breaking scoop) we get a long list of complaints and gripes from unnamed sources.
Senior US officials believed Pres. Trump posed a danger to national security with his freewheeling classified phone calls to other heads of state, attempts to charm leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin and calling German Chancellor Angela Merkel "stupid." https://t.co/NLmzKBYYqP
— CNN (@CNN) June 30, 2020
Then for good measure there is Jill Filipovich following up with another piece, which merely repeats talking points while telling us how important all of these are for the nation.
.@jillfilipovic: The sources in Bernstein's story have a stark choice in front of them: Continue to prop up a man who they know threatens the nation, or stand up for the future of this country and put their name and face behind the truth.” https://t.co/BjsKD7FSLK
— CNN Opinion (@CNNOpinion) June 30, 2020
Nobody goes on the record, and no specific office is ever alluded to. Everyone is highly placed, we are to swallow. And Trump consistently threatens our national security. We get no specifics as to what he does, just that he acts out with hubris and a crude attitude. Try to imagine — Donald Trump may act rude.
Bernstein also sets up the seriousness of his charges by placing them in contrast to the big story over the weekend of the Russia-Taliban bounty intelligence report he supposedly saw and ignored. You know, because he loves Putin so much. Well that story has been rather effectively disproven, something a wise journalist like Bernstein should have known. Instead, he rests the bulk of his column on that report.
I never heard this. And it’s disgusting how you continue to politicize intelligence. You clearly don’t understand how raw intel gets verified. Leaks of partial information to reporters from anonymous sources is dangerous because people like you manipulate it for political gain. https://t.co/403X9AVGAC
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) June 27, 2020
One thing to bear in mind; all these claims by Bernstein’s sources are made about the safety of our country and that our very security has been threatened by the President. These abusive and dangerous conversations have taken place for years, over the course of hundreds of phone calls.
But – nobody – has – taken – action.
And we are supposed to swoon that claims are made these calls have been worse than the Ukraine calls from last summer. This pull quote from the column says significantly more than is actually intended.
One person familiar with almost all the conversations with the leaders of Russia, Turkey, Canada, Australia and western Europe described the calls cumulatively as ‘abominations’ so grievous to US national security interests that if members of Congress heard from witnesses to the actual conversations or read the texts and contemporaneous notes, even many senior Republican members would no longer be able to retain confidence in the President.
Well now, this just sounds horrible!!! As historically serious as all of this sounds who have they brought this damning information to in the name of justice?! Uh…well, to Carl Bernstein.
Despite this purely impotent column numerous members of the press were positively gushing over the release.
Long and detailed account via Carl Bernstein about Trump's calls with foreign leaders. He brags, he berates, he demonstrates little knowledge. In other words, he's the same in private as in publc –> https://t.co/Dq7aG4Y43i
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) June 29, 2020
”Detailed”, he says — with no one on the record, and no true details given. Otherwise a spot-on assessment.
New, alarming reporting by CNN's @CarlBernstein: Trump's handling of highly classified calls with foreign heads of state helped convince some senior US officials "that the President himself posed a danger to the national security of the United States." https://t.co/zppF95cYeb
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 29, 2020
We wonder, will Tater be seen grilling Carl on the specifics of the Taliban bounty story that has been debunked?? HA! Trick question! Brian NEVER asks his guests tough questions.
After covering an impeachment based largely on a Trump foreign leader call, I didn’t think I could be surprised by further reporting about such calls. This effort from Carl Bernstein at CNN is stunning and a true must-read. https://t.co/IqKQ2VKcoj
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) June 29, 2020
Well, if you were impressed by that pointless impeachment process then a column that iss equaally pointless will surely be impressive to you as well.
Based on “more than a dozen officials” who either listened to the calls or received detailed summaries/printouts.
“far longer period than Bolton's tenure .. much more comprehensive—and seemingly more damning—in their sweep”
from the @carlbernsteinhttps://t.co/Spb5yWAItV
— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) June 29, 2020
Impressive. Sounds like Carl has a new book in the works! However, based on the way this column is holding up, it may be seen about as valid as John Bolton’s rapidly discredited tome.
First Watergate and now getting this 110-word lede past his editors. Carl Bernstein is truly a legend. pic.twitter.com/A5sJ6Pb7UY
— Stefan Fatsis (@stefanfatsis) June 30, 2020
No lie. Considering that he started this off with a paragraph-long run-on sentence it seems the editors were hands off when it came to Carl’s work. Seems the fact-checkers were also disinterested in digging too much into things.
Watergate legend Carl Bernstein releases bombshell new report on ‘delusional’ Trump endangering national security https://t.co/M4pazUqMQB
— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) June 29, 2020
Considering who far Cheri’s train has jumped the tracks over the past few years maybe calling others delusional is not the way to go.
The subtext of the Carl Bernstein CNN article is there are really a lot of people around Trump who know he's an existential threat to the country and they are freaking out.
— Schooley (@Rschooley) June 29, 2020
No, the subtext is there are a number of swamp creatures interested in damaging Trump’s reputation in claiming there are serious national threats, but taking no action. This is something Carl managed to bring up.
Amusingly, Bernstein himself went further to discredit his own piece. Listen to his own assessment of the very people he claimed delivered this scandalous information.
Bernstein: If officials spoke out earlier, we wouldn't be in this situationhttps://t.co/u8R5yzKSD9
— barbaradees (@deesbarbara) June 30, 2020
Yes Carl, ”IF” they had done something earlier. Why had they not done so? Why the need to smear and slander in secret? If these are serious charges why is no one acting seriously?
The irony is that Carl Bernstein wants us to believe these people all have very serious information that needs to be learned, except the only person they are willing to say anything to is Carl Bernstein. That is not the any way to treat this as a serious matter.
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