September 14, 2020
Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard “Ric” Grenell explained last night why DC hates President Donald Trump and the stakes in the 2020 election. WATCH:
Tag Archives: Fake News
Blazing Sunlight – Senate Intel Committee Refuses to Give GOP Senators Documents From Russia Investigation…
September 14, 2020
Of all the *tells* that have surfaced in the past four years, this is the biggest. This is the one that reveals just how corrupt and duplicitous the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence really is. Do not pass over this information without pausing and evaluating just how explosive this refusal is amid the largest, most corrupt scheme in political history.
The republican led Senate Intelligence Committee (SSCI) is refusing to provide documents to republican senators from their Russia investigation. Citing archaic justification within senate parliamentary rules current Chairman Marco Rubio (R) and Vice-Chairman Mark Warner are refusing to allow Senator Johnson and Senator Grassley to review the evidence the SSCI assembled to create their report on Russian election interference.
The reason and motives for the denial are simple, yet the majority of Americans have no idea…. The SSCI was the legislative entity, both republicans and democrats, who participated in the unlawful effort to remove President Trump from office. The risk of exposure is exactly why Mitch McConnell put Senator Marco Rubio on the committee as chairman to replace Richard Burr. The Senate was participating in the soft-coup.
WASHINGTON DC – The Republican and Democratic leaders on the Senate Intelligence Committee rejected a broad request from two Republican Senate leaders seeking access to the panel’s records to assist in their investigation into the Trump-Russia investigators.
Acting Chairman Marco Rubio of Florida and Vice Chairman Mark Warner of Virginia rejected a late August letter from Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who said that they “respect the authority” of the Senate Intelligence Committee to protect its interests, adding that “ultimately, we have the right as United States Senators” to access the records.
“We note that your request of the Committee is made pursuant to Senate Rule 26, but fails to account for the unique authorities and obligations invested in this Committee through Senate Resolution 400 and respected over decades of Senate and Committee practice,” Rubio and Warner responded. “Accordingly, we must reject the absolutist interpretation of Rule 26 that you propose. If this Committee elects to share materials that it has collected and generated in the course of its investigation into Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, it will do so pursuant to these long-standing Committee rules, and specifically, the joint agreement of the Chairman and the Vice Chairman.”
Rubio and Warner added: “Independent of whether that agreement is forthcoming, our position on this matter obviously does not preclude you from pursuing your own investigation, using your own authorities, as you see fit, within the confines of your committees’ jurisdictions.” (read more)
I cannot overemphasize the importance of this sunlight avoidance enough.
Back on March 17, 2017, the SSCI secretly received the FISA application used on Carter Page from FBI supervisory special agent Brian Dugan. The ‘review and return’ application was delivered to Senate Security Director James Wolfe, who then placed it in the senate scif to be reviewed by Vice-Chairman Mark Warner (and possibly Chairman Richard Burr). It appears no other senators were informed of this production.
James Wolfe then leaked the FISA application to reporter Ali Watkins. All indications are that Wolfe leaked the application to Watkins as directed by Warner, possibly with Burr’s full knowledge.
FBI Agent Brian Dugan then completed a nine-month leak investigation resulting in James Wolfe admitting to the leak. The leak was Dugan’s FBI equity. Due to the severity of the leak; and specifically because the leak encompassed the FISA application; in/around mid-January 2018 the special counsel in Main Justice was notified of Dugan’s findings and the investigative file was shared with the Weissmann team.
The Weissman team then took apart the investigative file and began running cover for the corrupt background story that included the participation by Senator Mark Warner. Part of that file surfaced when the text messages between Warner and Chris Steele’s lawyer Adam Waldman were made public on Feb 9, 2018.
In a pre-planned operation, as soon as the explosive Warner/Waldman texts were released Senator Marco Rubio rushed to the microphones to fraudulently state that Warner had informed the committee during his early spring (2017) contacts with Waldman and Chris Steele. This claim by Rubio was a lie. Rubio was running cover for Warner as part of his own affiliation with the origin of the Fusion-GPS opposition research and the subsequent transfer of information to the Clinton campaign and ultimately through Chris Steele to the corrupt FBI investigative unit. [Later to the Weissmann/Mueller crew]
Rubio’s motive to downplay the ramifications of the Warner effort, and the subsequent Wolfe leak, directly ties to his own involvement with the Fusion-GPS effort. Remember, at the time of this obfuscation (late ’17 and early ’18) no-one yet knew the Fusion-GPS fraudulent story (which became the Steele dossier) was originally funded by the Super-PAC funding the Rubio campaign.
Go look at when the Weissmann/Mueller special counsel deleted their iPhone records and history. The scrubbing took place mid-January 2018 as soon as they realized the previously unknown leak investigation by Washington Field Office FBI agent Brian Dugan had bumped into the special counsel operation that was coordinating with the SSCI.
The special counsel warned Warner; took action to remove specific evidence assembled by Dugan (which included the Warner/Waldman text messages); created a fictitious cover story for the SSCI to use; extracted the Dugan version of the FISA application he used to catch Wolfe (which they later released under the guise of FOIA); then sent a deconstructed (now useless) investigative file back to DC USAO Jessie Liu who had nothing left except to present a DC grand jury with James Wolfe lying to investigators.
That corrupt, unlawful and coordinated cover-up effort lies at the heart of why the SSCI will not share any information with GOP senators today.
Senators Johnson and Grassley were asking for the FISA application in 2018, not knowing the original and first renewal were previously provided to the SSCI on March 17, 2017.
When congress (House Intel, House Judiciary, Senate Judiciary and Senate Homeland Security) were writing to FISA Court presiding judge Rosemary Collyer seeking a copy of the FISA application from the court they had no idea one early copy was already provided to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Chairman Burr and Vice-Chair Warner kept their review and use secret; but the information about their reception came out because James Wolfe leaked it and FBI agent Brian Dugan was awaiting that leak.
FISA Judge Rosemary Collyer never told any of the chairmen about the March 2017 copy of the application that was provided to Brian Dugan to deliver to the SSCI.
Throughout the attempt to remove President Trump from office, which included the impeachment effort, the SSCI was participating and assisting; now they are in cover-up mode. That’s the reason why Mitch McConnell put Marco Rubio in charge of that committee.
There’s a reason why senior staff from Senator Ron Johnson’s committee and senior staff from Chuck Grassley’s committee are asking for SSCI documents. It might not come out before the election, but it will come out…
BACKSTORY: (Read Here – and All Citations)
The sequence is critical:
1. Adam Waldman text messages. (release date Feb 9, 2018)
2. Justice Dept. Letter to journalist Ali Watkins (release date Feb 13, 2018)
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4498451-Justice-Department-Records-Seizure.html
3. James Wolfe indictment (release date June 8, 2018)
4. FISC / Senate Judiciary Letter (public release April, 2020 – event date July 12, 2018) The letter from DOJ-NSD (Mueller Special Proseuctors) to the FISC is important.
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/download/2018-doj-letter-to-fisc&download=1
5. Carter Page FISA application (release date July 21, 2018) Only need the first application section. 83 pages of original application.
https://www.scribd.com/document/384380664/2016-FISA-Application-on-Carter-Page#
6. Government Sentencing Wolfe Case memo and recommendation for upward departure and/or variance. Filed December 11, 2018
https://www.scribd.com/document/395499292/James-Wolfe-DOJ-Sentencing-Memo-December-11
7. Govt. Reply to Defendant (Wolfe) sentencing memo (date Dec 14, 2018) Govt. Exhibit #13 (two page attestation is critical).
https://www.scribd.com/document/395775597/Wolfe-Case-DOJ-Response-to-Defense-Sentencing-Memo
Misc:
July 27, 2018, – Wall Street Journal – Wolfe lawyers threaten SSCI subpoenas.
Dec 11, 2018 – Politico – Senators seek Leniency:
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/11/senate-intelligence-committee-leaking-james-wolfe-1059162
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Journalists are Less Trusted than Police
Armstrong Economics Blog/Press
Re-Posted Sep 13, 2020 by Martin Armstrong
COMMENT: Way back when channels 2, 4, and 7 were real choice and the trusted lockstep words of Peter, Walter, and Chet reading the scripted 6 oclock news was mostly taken as truth – Those who control the media control the public – ah, the good old days.
A bit more complicated and confusing now a days, but if one just lives by the idiom “if it’s on tv and in the ‘news’, it ain’t the truth”, that simplifies things.
There should be significant legal and financial liabilities placed on the news outlets to encourage truth over propaganda, balanced stories rather than one-sided hit pieces. If they can’t back up their reporting with provable facts when challenged in court, it’ll cost them big. Get convicted in court of spreading propaganda, loose your broadcast license. Not perfect but lots better than what we have now.
G
REPLY: I fully agree. These people are destroying our future but like Duranty of the New York Times who was a Communist sympathizer, we have the very same crisis once again. This is no longer the “free press” for they interpret that as being free to twist the truth to what they want you to believe. Journalists are even less trusted than police according to Gallup. This is certainly not a career you should encourage your children to pursue. Journalists rise to the top 5 to be hanged in a revolution. Throughout history, these are certainly the people many hunt down for destroying society. Both Hitler and Lenin targeted the journalists who opposed them.
Way Beyond Bias
A majority of what ails America is a direct result of the lies and manipulation of the unholy alliance between the Democrat Party and the propaganda media machine
Re-Posted from the Canada Free Press By Rick Hayes —— Bio and Archives—September 12, 2020
When we think of the last four years of political chaos and civil unrest, is there one particular entity that seems to stand out as the cause?
For many, the list of prime suspects might include BLM, KKK, the far-right, the far-left, illegal aliens, ANTIFA, and maybe a few Congress members.
For America to have experienced this level of turmoil, this fast with anarchy reaching nearly every aspect of daily life, it should come as no surprise that it would take a lot of power and influence to be accountable for all of it.
Media bias is more than just being one-sided, untruthful, or unfair
Who or what could be so influential they could manipulate all of the riots currently burning down American cities or intensify inner-city conflicts resulting in hundreds of black men being murdered by other black men? Who has the power to do all of that?
There is only one entity on the planet that can wield such power as to be able to influence the perception of the American people, Wall Street, and PresidentIal elections, and that’s the media.
The Founding Fathers knew the importance of having an independent and free press. They granted the media with certain powers, such as reporting news or circulating opinions without government censorship. Freedom of the press is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and because of this, it is supposed to be above politics.
But when the media loses its vocation, as is the case in The United States, and becomes biased in its reporting, it must inherit all of the destruction and harm that it has sown.
But Media bias is more than just being one-sided, untruthful, or unfair to certain groups; it has real life and death consequences and creates instability in society.
Democrat propaganda media machine
The media has far-reaching control, which is why it is used every day by advertisers to influence sales. It’s also used by politicians to influence votes because it has the power to persuade and to change the way people act.
We don’t immediately think of CNN, MSNBC, or The New York Times when it comes to contributing to the murder rate, riots, or impeachment process, but we should.
For several months, many Americans were unaware that the country was experiencing explosive rioting. Instead, because of media bias, they believed what was occurring was peaceful protests.
The Democrat propaganda media machine did not cover the catastrophic reality of average Americans or police officers being attacked. It was a political decision that had deadly consequences.
Because the media ignored these violent incidents, they were allowed to continue and escalate under Democrat mayors and governors. It translated into more buildings being torched, more police being injured, and more Americans being beaten and killed.
America not having an ethical and honest media
Even with the occasional video surfacing that showed innocent citizens being beaten and robbed and establishments being ransacked and looted,
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Democrat Jerry Nadler didn’t just downplay the violence; he called it a “myth.” And the biased media, through its silence, showed its support of that absurd statement.
For days, many Americans had no idea that six blocks of an American city was violently overtaken by a mob and renamed CHAZ, “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.”
Besides the biased media remaining silent, Seattle’s’ Democrat Mayor Jenny Durkan denied the reality that citizens were being beaten and held against their will. She also said that CHAZ had a “block party atmosphere” and was experiencing the “Summer of Love.”
She knew she would get away with such nonsensical rhetoric because being a Democrat; the propaganda media machine would step in and back her up. Which of course it did, and more Americans died because of it.
Nadler and Durkan’s insane response to the carnage is understandable because, as soulless members of the left, lies are just part of an overall strategy to hold power.
All of the homes and businesses lost to fire, all of the injuries to the innocent, and the indiscriminate killings are not a consequence of America not having an ethical and honest media. They result from America having an unethical and dishonest propaganda media machine that caters to the Democrat Party.
Mainstream media looked the other way regarding the riots in CHAZ
According to Media Research Center news analyst Nicholas Fondacaro, the mainstream media looked the other way regarding the riots in CHAZ. “It has been days since this nonsense had started and the broadcast networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC—have kept it off the air,” Fondacaro wrote.
And when the President offered assistance to the charred and broken Democratically-run cities, his recommendations were met with hostility. Durkan ridiculed and rebuked the President for saying he was considering sending help and told him to stay away.
With the expansion of social media, even the deceitfully powerful mainstream media couldn’t keep many Americans in the dark. Eventually, many video clips emerged, clearly showing explicit images of smashing windows, burning cars, and rioters running through the streets with bats.
It forced the propaganda media machine to consider the political fallout when Americans realized the riots’ existence. No longer could the riots be reported by the media as peaceful protests.
And without missing a beat, the propaganda machine pivoted, and along with finally acknowledging the riots’ existence, it started blaming them on the President. And why not? Propaganda works.
The reality of the existence of the riots didn’t change. What changed was the propaganda narrative.
Lies and manipulation of the unholy alliance between the Democrat Party and the propaganda media machine
In only a few short weeks, Americans who believed the media propaganda that the riots didn’t exist now unquestioningly accepted the medias’ propaganda position that the riots not only existed but were caused by President Trump.
It is disturbing to think about how so many Americans were so easily manipulated. But what these Americans should be asking themselves now is how did it all change so fast. How has it come to be that all of the media’s early reports that the protests were peaceful suddenly took a 180-degree turn and were now seen as riots?
And how could the media pin the blame of the riots on a Republican President when 100% of the riots occurred in decades-old Democrat city strongholds, where all the mayors and governors are Democrats?
Americans need to see the abundantly clear evidence that the mainstream media was shoveling out propaganda myths for the Democrat Party and to see that there are no innocent lies with a bias media. In the case of the recent riots, the dishonesty went far beyond politics and became very deadly.
Look at any one of the dozens of wholesale crimes by Democrats over the past four years, and you will be able to trace the promotion, escalation, and coverup directly to the fraudulent propaganda media.
Americans should know by now that if investigated, a majority of what ails America is a direct result of the lies and manipulation of the unholy alliance between the Democrat Party and the propaganda media machine.
Paris Erupts into Protests Against Macron & Lockdowns
Armstrong Economics Blog/Civil Unrest
Re-Posted Sep 12, 2020 by Martin Armstrong
Today in Paris, many thousands of “yellow vests” took to the streets to demonstrate against French President Emmanuel Macron and the French government over its draconian lockdowns and CORONA restrictions. This was a massive riot where police not only used tear gas and batons, they were firing both rubber bullets and live ammunition. These lockdowns are by no means about taking care of people. This is raw tyranny and we will see if they even stand for election in 2021/2022.
The next French Presidential election will begin Friday, April 8, 2022. What is interesting is when we look at the Quarterly Array on the French CAC-40, it is clearly showing the first quarter will be very volatile. This is clearly the impact of the French elections and there is a deep concern that Macron will even suspend the elections under the pretense of a national emergency as we saw in New Zealand. The protests of the “yellow vests” against Macron began back in November 2018. They were initially triggered by rising fuel prices and a pension reform plan. We are looking at sheer political chaos in France as the elections will come 43 months from the beginning of these protests (50% of 86).
ECB Thinking of Buying Bank Stocks
Armstrong Economics Blog/Central Banks
Re-Posted Sep 9, 2020 by Martin Armstrong
QUESTION: Buongiorno signor martin anche se mi piacerebbe chiamarla professore, è la Bce sta comprando azioni delle banche europee grz
AP
ANSWER: The ECB is looking into buying bank stocks because nobody else will. It is the only way to pretend they are meeting their capitalization. They are floating the idea of buying stocks, but they are not expressly saying bank stocks. It is another attempt to desperately try to hold on to this fiction. It will not succeed. They are buying stocks rather than doing bailouts. It amounts to the same thing, but they can claim it is not a bailout politically.
FAKE News Has Been Around for Thousands of Years
Armstrong Economics Blog/Press
Re-Posted Sep 3, 2020 by Martin Armstrong
Many people claim that fake news is just something that Trump made up. They fail to realize that fake news has been a major political tool for thousands of years. The New York Times celebrated Joeseph Stalin as the future and cure for the Great Depression. Their top journalist Duranty even convinced Roosevelt to recognize Russia.
The press has always been a major tool to create revolutions. They were used by the Communists to pull off both the Russian and Chinese Revolutions. The Obama administration appears to have begun this decline in American journalism by not only selling Utopian Economics (Marxism) to the media, but they actively targeted journalists who they viewed as anti-Democratic. There is a pair of 2015 memos from the former Attorney General Eric Holder that reveal how the government used court orders under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to monitor the communications of journalists and news organizations. These memos have surfaced (the documents) but most of the press never made it a major story. Holder’s memos laid out the circumstances for processing FISA applications that target “known media entities” or “known members of the media.” You would think even the New York Times would be screaming – but as long as it applied to the non-liberal press, they were perfectly OK with that.
The New York Times journalist Walter Duranty on March 31, 1933, denounced reports of a famine. They were so pro-Communism for they saw Marxism as the way to a new future. It was Duranty who met with Roosevelt to convince him that Communism was working and to encourage his New Deal. The mainstream press in the 1930s were very much touting the Communists. They wanted to hear of Utopia and so reported only what they wanted to believe as they are doing once again.
Perhaps the greatest of all fake news reporters was none other than Cicero (104-43 BC). He was an Optimat and thus was against Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) who was a member of the Populares — the people rather than the Oligarchs. The leader of the Optimates was none other than Cato. It was Plutarch who reported that when a friend of Cicero remarked that the constellation of Lybra was due to rise next day, Cicero snapped – “Yes, by edict.” This is merely an example that the Optimates were constantly complaining about every reform Caesar would make. Because of the fake news of Cicero, even Shakespeare bought into it and painted Julius Caesar as a ruthless dictator. However, when Caesar crossed the Rubicon, the cities all cheered and opened their gates. The Optimates had no support of the people for they were exploiting the Republic since they were the Oligarchs. It was Cato who instigated the Civil War.
Cicero paid not just with his life, but they cut off his hands and nailed his head on the Rostra in the Forum Romanum according to the tradition. According to Cassius Dio, Marc Antony’s wife Fulvia took Cicero’s head, pulled out his tongue, and jabbed it repeatedly with her hairpin in an act of final revenge against Cicero’s power of speech.
Australian Tyranny – Is Revolution Coming?
Armstrong Economics Blog/Australia & Oceania
Posted Sep 2, 2020 by Martin Armstrong
This video shows the tyranny in Australia as they arrested a pregnant woman for posting about a protest against the lockdowns. We have warned that the War Cycle, which includes Civil Unrest, turned up in 2014 and will build into intensity by 2022. This is not a forecast that has ever given me any pleasure. The two components are international war and civil unrest which leads to revolution. The worst seems to be on schedule for the Pi Target after 2024 and the peak of this 8.6-year business cycle wave of the Economic Confidence Model.
On January 1, 1901, the six colonies joined together forming the Commonwealth of Australia. The Revolutionary Cycle in Australia turned up in 2013, just slightly before the global War Cycle which turned up in 2014. The actions of the Australian government have completely turned toward an absolute authoritarian reign. Here you see that they are indeed monitoring all social media arresting a pregnant woman for merely posting on Facebook that a protest would take place. Even the German high court ruled that the government could not stop the protest on August 29th, 2020. Here in Australia, you see that the government has rejected every principle of a free society. Typically, the West would impose sanctions against Australia blocking all trade for they are treating their people no different than Russia invading Crimea as the West alleges, Syria, or Iran. Don’t forget the allegations against Iraq that it was a dictatorship.
The Australian Civil Unrest Cycle should begin to pop next year in 2021 and build into intensity by 2026. These politicians will be voted out of office so there will most likely be claims that in the middle of such a crisis, elections will be suspended. These politicians cannot now allow a free election for anyone who would then side with the people would be moved to arrest these politicians and prosecute them. Therefore, as long as Australian police act like the ones in this video, there will eventually be blood in the streets.
After the previous turning point of August 7th, 1964 which picked the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution incident to the day, there were massive protests against the Vietnam War. This is also the era when the Beatles wrote the song Revolution. Today, they would probably be thrown in prison for daring to even sing it. In Britain, the BBC is banning a song Rule Britania because it says they will never be slaves.
Never in my wildest imagination did I ever expect such a wholesale coup against our freedoms. This is what the rest of us face from 2021 on. Politicians no longer represent the people. They have simply gone mad. There are elections coming in 2021 around many places globally. I would expect them to be rigged, or even suspended for those in power doing this sort of oppression will surely not be re-elected. This is a global coup because the socialistic systems are failures which include the pensions for government workers.
DC Circuit Denies Flynn Writ of Mandamus Sends Case Back to Judge Sullivan for Final Disposition…
August 31, 2020
I have a standing rule never to write about current events in a state of anger; forgive me for violating my own standard… this is infuriating (albeit not unexpected). The two-tiered judicial process to target a ‘transparently innocent’ man continues. [Links Below]
As anticipated, on the last day prior to DC Circuit Judge Griffith departure, the DC en banc panel has rejected the Flynn writ of mandamus and now sends the case back to Judge Emmet Sullivan for final disposition. One way of looking at this is the DC circuit attempting to save face for Judge Sullivan by granting him the ability to do the right thing.
Another way of looking at this is a judicial stall tactic allowing the case to drag on even further until after the election. [60-page ruling pdf here – also available here]
As expected the majority of the panel hung their argument on the fact that Judge Sullivan had not yet ruled prior to the request for the writ of mandamus; and as an outcome Sullivan should be allowed to reach final disposition. As noted: “we expect the District Court to proceed with appropriate dispatch“…
The unopposed motion to dismiss the case against Michael Flynn is now back in the court of presiding Judge Emmet Sullivan.
Flynn’s defense counsel Sidney Powell ‘could’ appeal the full panel ruling to Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts for an emergency stay (not likely) reinforcing the original ruling (mandamus enforcement); or Powell could wait and see whether Judge Sullivan returns to judicial norms and allows the dismissal of the case prior to seeking any higher intervention (more likely). The latter approach just extends the timeline further.
As CTH noted last week the timing of this was predictable with Judge Griffith exiting the court. Additionally: “the DC appeals court likely doesn’t want this decision being reviewed any further (SCOTUS). It would make sense for the DC panel to seek a face-saving exit for Sullivan that doesn’t put Flynn’s defense in a position to appeal to Supreme Court Justice Roberts for intervention.” This appears to be the path the DC Circuit has taken.
Another possible option, albeit rather stark -highly unlikely- and loaded with implications, would be for the DOJ to simply refuse further case engagement completely.
CTH noted several months ago if the DOJ just refused further participation in the case, it would put Judge Sullivan in a very odd position of holding hearings where no prosecution shows up. However, this case is so far outside the normal boundaries of judicial proceedings anything is possible.
Here’s the embed pdf of the ruling. Judge Griffith (extreme anti-Flynn activist) representing the opinion of the court. Judges Rao and Henderson (who originally agreed to the writ) writing the dissent.
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No two cases highlight the two-tiered system of justice like the comparative behind National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and SSCI Security Director James Wolfe.
In the Wolfe case corrupt elements of the judicial system allowed a transparently guilty man to escape accountability because it would have exposed massive multi-branch government corruption on an institutional scale that is almost unfathomable. Wolfe leaked top-secret classified documents at the request of members within the Senate Intelligence Committee. The DOJ then hides the wrong-doing.
In the Flynn case a transparently innocent man is framed by corrupt elements within the same institution, the FBI, by defining what the word “sanctions” means. A corrupt DOJ then transfers the corrupt intent into the judicial branch using a clear political agenda.
Anger…
FUBAR.
Beware of the “Fact Checkers”
Re-Posted from Just The Facts Daily By James D. Agresti August 27, 2020
We live in an age in which information is far more accessible than ever before. However, so is misinformation. How can we sort out one from other?
Well, some people who call themselves “fact checkers” claim to have the answer. They say, “Trust us.” But all-too-often, they fail to get even basic facts correct. Let’s look at three prime examples. See if you notice a common thread between them.
Snopes
Late during the Supreme Court nomination hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, several women accused him of sexual assault, and the media began publishing many “facts” about such crimes. These supposedly showed that only a tiny portion of sexual assault allegations are false, giving the clear message that Kavanaugh’s accusers are probably telling the truth.
That’s when a “fact checker” called Snopes stepped in and reported that “the most recent and credible research on this topic suggests that around 5% of rape or sexual assault allegations are false.” Snopes writer Alex Kasprak based this claim mainly on a meta-analysis of seven studies.
However, the meta-analysis doesn’t say this. Instead, it states that “at least 5%” of such accusation are “confirmed false reports” and “potentially many more false report cases” exist. In fact, the meta-analysis lists four different studies of “suspected” false allegations and “found false reporting rates above 40%.”
Surely, Snopes knows that the words “at least 5% and potentially many more” don’t mean “around 5%.”
If that wasn’t enough, the same Snopes article slanders Mississippi state senator Chris McDaniel by claiming that he said “99% of rape allegations from women are false.” McDaniel didn’t say that. He was speaking about accusations dredged up by the “American left” at politically opportune times many years after the alleged incidents occurred. He was not talking about all sex assault cases, and no competent, honest journalist could twist his words in the manner that Snopes did.
PolitiFact
Let’s examine another enlightening example.
In the final presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, Clinton said that “half of all” illegal immigrants in the U.S. “actually pay federal income tax.”
A Pulitzer Prize-winning fact check organization named PolitiFact looked into Clinton’s claim and reported: “While there is no official figure, experts estimate that about half of all undocumented workers pay federal income taxes, if not more.”
In reality, the polar opposite is true. Data from the IRS, the Social Security Administration, and the Congressional Budget Office show that roughly half of illegal immigrants file federal tax returns, but virtually none of them pay federal income taxes. Instead, they file these returns to claim refundable child tax credits, which give them cash welfare payments for every child they have.
Are we supposed to believe that PolitiFact doesn’t understand that “paying income taxes” is not the same as “filing tax returns to get welfare”?
Washington Post
Now let’s examine a fact checking operation embedded in a media outlet.
Well after Obamacare was signed into law, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that it would reduce the size of the U.S. workforce by about 2.3 million full-time workers. This was roughly three times larger than the previous estimate.
As this negative news spread, the Washington Post’s head fact checker, Glenn Kessler, put a positive spin on it by claiming that this decline in workers “initially would lead to higher wages as employers competed to hire people.”
In direct contradiction this, the same Congressional Budget Office report that Kessler cited says that the Affordable Care Act will cause “reductions in wages or other compensation.” Moreover, it explains that these wage reductions are among the main reasons why Obamacare will cause the workforce to decline. Since Obamacare cuts the money that people earn from working, less people will be willing to work.
Even a child can read a report that say “wages will decline” and know that it doesn’t mean “wages will rise.” Why can’t the Washington Post’s head fact checker or his editor do that?
This is same media outlet that ran a Super Bowl ad praising journalists for empowering the public, helping us make good decisions, and keeping us free.
Conclusion
These cases are all clear as a bell and inexcusable under basic standards of honesty. Worse still, when I brought these blatant falsehoods to the attention of these so-called fact checkers, not one of them made a correction.
So what’s the common thread here? They all mislead in ways that support progressive political agendas. This is not a coincidence. I’ve examined countless fact checks that are rife with deceit, and in nearly every case, it’s the same story: They mangle the truth in ways that advance leftist narratives.
Why would they do this? I can’t read their minds, but this can only boil down to two factors: incompetence and/or dishonesty.
Centinel2012 