Assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Solemani by Trump
Fox News is (mostly) ready for war again
Fox News and Trump
Thursday evening, President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of the commander of Iran’s Quds Force Maj. Gen. Qassem Solemani. Following the attack many Fox figures heaped absolute praise on the president’s decision to commit an act of war.
The war fevor escalated on Friday, when Fox host and Trump adviser Sean Hannity fantasized about a further strike inside Iran which would (somehow) prompt Iranians to overthrow their government. Hannity also told Trump to disregard rules of engagement and to "bomb the living hell" out of Iran. A day later, Trump threatened to do exactly that.
Mainstream outlets run with Trump statements on Iran which are later seriously undermined
Days after the United States military strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the rounds, but the hosts of the five major Sunday news shows fell short in questioning and pushing Pompeo in two major ways.
As Pompeo seemingly pivoted away from the claim that Soleimani presented an imminent threat to the U.S. following reports that the administration greatly exaggerated intelligence, the hosts failed to press him on the exact nature of intelligence the administration claimed to have.
Pompeo was also not challenged when he consistently blamed the Obama administration and specifically the Iran nuclear deal (also known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) for actions that Iran has taken since President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement.
Mainstream outlets run with Trump statements on Iran which are later seriously undermined
After the United States assassinated Soleimani, major mainstream news outlets unquestionably repeated the Trump administration’s purported justification for the attack in their headlines. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo posted on Twitter an overarching justification for the strike, saying it warded off “imminent threats to American lives.”
CNN, USA Today, The New York Times, Axios, ABC News, and The Hill all put Pompeo's claim into a headline. Multiple pundits on all cable news channels said that they had no reason to doubt the administration's claims.
And yet, less than a day later, the claim collapsed. New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi found that the justification was "razor thin." According to emerging reporting , the Iraqi Prime Minister has said that Soleimani was on a diplomatic mission to meet with him regarding a Saudi attempt to de-escalate tensions in the region.
The facts are still not settled, but that's even more reason to not take seriously the word of the Trump administration and Pompeo, known liars.
Also: Revelations that government officials lied about about the Afghanistan War underscore that the media should be aggressively skeptical about war against Iran.
Don't forget what Trump and Fox said about Obama and Iran
Trump repeatedly spoke with Fox personalities at the time about how Obama would start a war with Iran in order to get re-elected. He made similar claims in a video he posted to his website. In response to Trump, Sean Hannity said that would be "the single most chilling abuse of power in American history."
Meet the Press doesn’t disclose guest talking about Iran is Lockheed Martin board member
Jeh Johnson, who was secretary of homeland security under President Barack Obama, appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press to discuss President Donald Trump ordering the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Neither Johnson nor host Chuck Todd disclosed that Johnson is a board member of defense contractor Lockheed Martin, which reportedly paid him over $300,000 in 2018 alone.
Right-wing media already accusing Democrats who question Trump of being aligned with Iran
On Friday, several Fox personalities accused Democrats critical of the decision the kill Solemani of being aligned with Iran. On Fox and Friends the morning after the attack, retired Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata expressed offense that Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) had called America’s targeted killing of Soleimani an “assassination,” accused Murphy of “jumping on the side of Iran,” and complained that “Democrats will support, you know, Hamas, or Hezbollah, or Iran” over American and Donald Trump. Trump himself retweeted a claim from far right pundit Dinesh D'Souza comparing Sen. minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to Iranians.
Featured Videos
Fox host and Trump adviser Pete Hegseth responded to concerns about Trump's act of war by saying that Trump can still work with allies in the region "like the Kurds." Uhm, there's just a little bit of a problem there.
This Week In Dumb
Lou Dobbs said it would be “utterly irrational” for Trump to brief Congress on strike against Soleimani.
A Fox host dismissed concerns about blowback against the United States by saying that Iranians would just throw computers.
A Fox News producer falsely claimed that an instance of pro-Trump graffiti in Tehran was in response to Trump's strike. The image was at least months old (and there is no indication of any mass pro-Trump movement in Iran now).
Geraldo Rivera called out Brian Kilmeade's war propaganda on Fox & Friends.
A radio host for extreme anti-LGBTQ group American Family Association said that Nazis had “no chance of advancing through the ranks unless you were a hardcore homosexual.” Nazis arrested an estimated 100,000 gay men and sent between 5,000 and 15,000 of them to concentration camps.
A Fox News contributor said that Trump didn't have to brief Congress on the Soleimani strike because of impeachment.
A Fox host suggested that Soleimani's assassination means that Trump should not be removed from office following impeachment.
The New York Times deleted a horrible tweet about the Navy SEAL accused of war crimes whom Trump pardoned.
Fox host Jeanine Pirro suggested that the statute of limitations has expired on impeachment.
A Fox host lashed out at teachers who donated to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT): "What country is this?"
Tucker Carlson: “The long term agenda of refugee resettlement is to bring in future Democratic voters.”
Images by Media Matters and Creative Commons. Audrey Bowler and Jake Dougherty contributed to this email.
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© 2019 Media Matters for America. All rights reserved.
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Fox News and Trump
Thursday evening, President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of the commander of Iran’s Quds Force Maj. Gen. Qassem Solemani. Following the attack many Fox figures heaped absolute praise on the president’s decision to commit an act of war.
The war fevor escalated on Friday, when Fox host and Trump adviser Sean Hannity fantasized about a further strike inside Iran which would (somehow) prompt Iranians to overthrow their government. Hannity also told Trump to disregard rules of engagement and to "bomb the living hell" out of Iran. A day later, Trump threatened to do exactly that.
Mainstream outlets run with Trump statements on Iran which are later seriously undermined
Days after the United States military strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the rounds, but the hosts of the five major Sunday news shows fell short in questioning and pushing Pompeo in two major ways.
As Pompeo seemingly pivoted away from the claim that Soleimani presented an imminent threat to the U.S. following reports that the administration greatly exaggerated intelligence, the hosts failed to press him on the exact nature of intelligence the administration claimed to have.
Pompeo was also not challenged when he consistently blamed the Obama administration and specifically the Iran nuclear deal (also known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) for actions that Iran has taken since President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement.
Mainstream outlets run with Trump statements on Iran which are later seriously undermined
After the United States assassinated Soleimani, major mainstream news outlets unquestionably repeated the Trump administration’s purported justification for the attack in their headlines. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo posted on Twitter an overarching justification for the strike, saying it warded off “imminent threats to American lives.”
CNN, USA Today, The New York Times, Axios, ABC News, and The Hill all put Pompeo's claim into a headline. Multiple pundits on all cable news channels said that they had no reason to doubt the administration's claims.
And yet, less than a day later, the claim collapsed. New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi found that the justification was "razor thin." According to emerging reporting , the Iraqi Prime Minister has said that Soleimani was on a diplomatic mission to meet with him regarding a Saudi attempt to de-escalate tensions in the region.
The facts are still not settled, but that's even more reason to not take seriously the word of the Trump administration and Pompeo, known liars.
Also: Revelations that government officials lied about about the Afghanistan War underscore that the media should be aggressively skeptical about war against Iran.
Don't forget what Trump and Fox said about Obama and Iran
Trump repeatedly spoke with Fox personalities at the time about how Obama would start a war with Iran in order to get re-elected. He made similar claims in a video he posted to his website. In response to Trump, Sean Hannity said that would be "the single most chilling abuse of power in American history."
Meet the Press doesn’t disclose guest talking about Iran is Lockheed Martin board member
Jeh Johnson, who was secretary of homeland security under President Barack Obama, appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press to discuss President Donald Trump ordering the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Neither Johnson nor host Chuck Todd disclosed that Johnson is a board member of defense contractor Lockheed Martin, which reportedly paid him over $300,000 in 2018 alone.
Right-wing media already accusing Democrats who question Trump of being aligned with Iran
On Friday, several Fox personalities accused Democrats critical of the decision the kill Solemani of being aligned with Iran. On Fox and Friends the morning after the attack, retired Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata expressed offense that Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) had called America’s targeted killing of Soleimani an “assassination,” accused Murphy of “jumping on the side of Iran,” and complained that “Democrats will support, you know, Hamas, or Hezbollah, or Iran” over American and Donald Trump. Trump himself retweeted a claim from far right pundit Dinesh D'Souza comparing Sen. minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to Iranians.
Featured Videos
Fox host and Trump adviser Pete Hegseth responded to concerns about Trump's act of war by saying that Trump can still work with allies in the region "like the Kurds." Uhm, there's just a little bit of a problem there.
This Week In Dumb
Lou Dobbs said it would be “utterly irrational” for Trump to brief Congress on strike against Soleimani.
A Fox host dismissed concerns about blowback against the United States by saying that Iranians would just throw computers.
A Fox News producer falsely claimed that an instance of pro-Trump graffiti in Tehran was in response to Trump's strike. The image was at least months old (and there is no indication of any mass pro-Trump movement in Iran now).
Geraldo Rivera called out Brian Kilmeade's war propaganda on Fox & Friends.
A radio host for extreme anti-LGBTQ group American Family Association said that Nazis had “no chance of advancing through the ranks unless you were a hardcore homosexual.” Nazis arrested an estimated 100,000 gay men and sent between 5,000 and 15,000 of them to concentration camps.
A Fox News contributor said that Trump didn't have to brief Congress on the Soleimani strike because of impeachment.
A Fox host suggested that Soleimani's assassination means that Trump should not be removed from office following impeachment.
The New York Times deleted a horrible tweet about the Navy SEAL accused of war crimes whom Trump pardoned.
Fox host Jeanine Pirro suggested that the statute of limitations has expired on impeachment.
A Fox host lashed out at teachers who donated to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT): "What country is this?"
Tucker Carlson: “The long term agenda of refugee resettlement is to bring in future Democratic voters.”
Images by Media Matters and Creative Commons. Audrey Bowler and Jake Dougherty contributed to this email.
Facebook TwitterInstagram YouTube Tumblr
DONATE
mediamatters.org
© 2019 Media Matters for America. All rights reserved.
Media Matters for America | P.O. Box 52155 | Washington DC 20091 US
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