“Straight news” anchor Bill Hemmer blatantly prodded Rep. Jim Jordan to urge Donald Trump Jr. to thumb his nose at a Congressional subpoena looking into the Trump campaign’s activities with Russia.
Hemmer began the discussion with a clip of Daddy Donald Trump claiming Jr. has been exonerated, which he most certainly was not. But Hemmer let Daddy’s comment stand unremarked, thus implicitly validating it. Instead, Hemmer opened the door for an attack on Republican Senator Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee which issued the subpoena, by asking Jordan, “What do you think Sen. Burr is going for at this point, sir?”
It’s supposed to be Hemmer’s job to find that out. But it’s a typical tactic of Fox’s “straight news” hosts to outsource their own work to partisans.
It’s hard to believe Hemmer didn’t know what The New York Times reported two days ago: that Michael Cohen cast doubt on some of Trump Jr.’s previous testimony. “The committee is particularly interested in the younger Mr. Trump’s account of the events surrounding the Trump Tower meeting — as well as his role in his father’s efforts to build a skyscraper in Moscow — and comparing the testimony to his previous answers to Senate investigators in 2017,” the Times wrote.
But there’s a GOP civil war over the subpoena, with the Trump loyalists attacking Burr. So it’s no surprise that Hemmer would help promote Trump loyalty over America. Never mind that the Mueller report called Russia’s attack on the U.S. “sweeping and systemic.” And never mind that the reason Trump Jr. wasn’t indicted was because Mueller had no proof Junior was smart enough to know he had broken the law.
“I do think this is ridiculous,” Jordan said. “Bring Donald Trump back in to testify again based on the testimony of a guy who’s in prison for lying to Congress?”
Hemmer gave his seal of approval: “Mmmhmm.”
Next, Hemmer all but instructed Jordan to advise Trump Jr. to ignore the subpoena. “Can he refuse” the subpoena, Hemmer asked. “[Democratic] Senator Blumenthal just said he has no privilege, prison is the only answer.” In case Jordan missed the point, Hemmer’s voice dripped with skepticism as he added, “Jail time?”
Jordan got the message. “I would encourage him not to come,” he said.
There was no challenge, no follow up questioning. Hemmer got what he wanted and moved on.
As Crooks and Liars’ John Amato noted, not only did Jordan enable traitors to the United States, he’s acting as a traitor to his own legislative body. And Hemmer aided and abetted the effort.
It’s hard to know who’s worse here: a Congressman urging a known colluder with Russia to ignore a Congressional subpoena or a supposedly “straight news” anchor prodding the Congressman to do so.
Watch it below, from the May 10, 2019 America’s Newsroom, via Crooks and Liars.