Media Malpractice
I have often noted that media bias is about more than just how stories get spun. Media bias is also evident in what stories simply don't get told – call them the sins of journalistic omission. And the left-wing media did it again last night.
All the networks wanted to talk about was impeachment, and that's understandable given their obvious Trump hatred. But most journalists understand that this farce is not going anywhere.
But something did happen on Capitol Hill yesterday that is going somewhere. As we told you, the USMCA trade deal to replace NAFTA passed the Senate by an overwhelming margin of 89-to-10.
Remember when Donald Trump campaigned against NAFTA? Predictably, the political establishment opposed him. The media mocked him. They said he would destroy our relationships with Mexico and Canada.
WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!
Allow me to just reiterate that what everyone once said could not be done -- the USMCA -- passed the House last month by a vote of 385-to-41 and passed the Senate yesterday by a vote of 89-to-11. Donald Trump did it, and this new deal will have lasting benefits for the American people.
And the big three networks gave it absolutely zero coverage yesterday. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
For a fleeting moment, Politico appreciated the historic nature of the accomplishment and posted a story with this headline: "Senate Passes USMCA In Major Win For Trump."
After sufficiently flogging Politico's digital editor for his blasphemy – speaking well of Donald Trump – the title was quickly changed to this: "Senate Passes USMCA, But Much Work Remains."
By the way, kudos to Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ)! The former Air Force fighter pilot certainly knows how to handle the liberal media.
As she was walking into the Senate chamber yesterday for the start of the impeachment trial, a CNN reporter shouted a gotcha question at her. McSally responded, "You're a liberal hack. I'm not talking to you."
Perhaps McSally can give her fellow Senate Republicans a few tips on public relations!
Impeachment Collusion
Collusion has been a big buzzword throughout the impeachment drama, and we got a prime example of collusion yesterday.
As I am sure you have heard by now, the "non-partisan" Government Accounting Office (GAO) released a statement yesterday claiming that the president violated the law when he withheld funds from Ukraine. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her media allies quickly pounced.
First of all, Trump didn't withhold the money. He delayed it to ensure it wasn't going to be wasted by corruption, which is the president's responsibility. But the release of that GAO statement on the opening day of the Senate impeachment trial was no coincidence. It was more anti-Trump collusion by the Swamp.
But since we're talking about GAO reports as evidence of impeachable crimes, the Government Accounting Office determined that Barack Obama broke the law seven times. By the left's logic, Obama should have been impeached seven times! Where was Pelosi's outrage then?
Pence's Profile In Courage
If you've ever read John F. Kennedy's book, "Profile In Courage," you may recall that one of the chapters is about Sen. Edmund Ross, a Republican senator from Kansas. Ross bucked his party and prevented the partisan impeachment of President Andrew Johnson in 1868. (Northern Republicans at the time bitterly resented Johnson, a Democrat from Tennessee.)
Vice President Mike Pence, an astute observer of American history, has a great opinion piece in today's Wall Street Journal about the courage of Sen. Ross. You can read it here.
Pence raises Ross's example to ask if any Senate Democrats will have the courage to stand up against this sham partisan impeachment, intended solely to reverse the last election.
Great job, Mr. Vice President!
Speaking of the impeachment trial, the members of the president's impeachment defense team were announced today. They are:
- Pat Cipollone, who currently serves as White House counsel
- Jay Sekulow, Donald Trump's personal lawyer
- Ken Starr, the former Whitewater/Clinton independent counsel
- Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor and renowned defense attorney
- Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida
- Robert Ray, who also led the Whitewater/Clinton investigations
- Jane Raskin, a former federal prosecutor who represented the president during the Mueller investigation.