Former George W. Bush adviser Ari Fleischer took to Twitter Tuesday morning to blast the media’s “lack of curiosity” on the Susan Rice–unmasking story (12 tweets in total):
1/ About Susan Rice: The President's National Security Advisor has authority to request unmasking of American names from intell agencies.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
2/ But in this instance, I am stunned by the lack of curiosity most media have shown about the facts and circumstances present here.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
Fleischer sees this “lack of curiosity” as evidence of liberal media bias:
3/ This is a good example of media giving soft coverage to President Obama while they're hard on the GOP in general & Trump in particular.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
Flashback to Bowe Bergdahl:
4/ Bear in mind, Rice is the official who praised Bowe Bergdahl for his "honorable service" & claimed he was captured "on the battlefield."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
And we covered this point earlier, noting how CNN is trying to spin this in her favor:
5/ She also said two weeks ago in a TV interview that she didn't know anything about the unmasking.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
Really? Because we never expected this:
6/ I would have thought the media would ask tough questions. There is no reason this should be a FOX News and conservative press issue only.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
And here are the questions reporters should be asking:
7/ If I were a reporter, I would want to know why Rice sought the unmasking. The FBI is investigating possible Trump collision, not the WH.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
8/ How often did she ask? What reasons did she give? (Each request is tracked and catalogued in writing by the NSA. A procedure exists.)
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
9/ The info would have been provided ONLY to her as the requester. It is highly classified. Did she share it? With whom? Why?
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
10/ If she shared it with anyone, why did she do so? What did they do with it? Did they give it to the media or tell media about it?
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
In conclusion:
11/ One of the reasons we live in a polarized era is because too many reporters look the other way at issues like this. Bias is real.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
12/ It's not too late. The press knows how to dig and get answers. I hope they do so.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) April 4, 2017
We hope so, too.
***
Related:
Don Lemon, CNN go ALL OUT to spin for Susan Rice https://t.co/7inCkXo2fL
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) April 4, 2017
CNN vs. Fox News vs. MSNBC on Susan Rice https://t.co/SVsaGF7f2L
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) April 4, 2017
Person close to Susan Rice tells CNN of course Susan Rice didn't seek to unmask American citizens https://t.co/1JCzuiblHh
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) April 4, 2017
