After Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) received just the kind of Twitter drubbing she deserved for smearing Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman in a tweet, she got a predictably friendly platform on Fox News to pile on the attacks.
On Friday morning, Blackburn tweeted this viciousness:
Vindictive Vindman is the “whistleblower’s” handler.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) November 22, 2019
Happily, many decent people gave her just the kind of Twitter replies she deserved.
On Friday’s Fox News at Night, host Shannon Bream asked Blackburn about her tweet at about 4:20 into their discussion.
Bream put up on the screen a reply to Blackburn’s tweet from Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin. It said, “This is a disgrace, Senator.” Bream added, “There were critiques that were much more colorful than that. So, do you stand by the tweet?”
“I do stand by the tweet,” Blackburn said, laughing. Then Bream allowed her to launch into an uninterrupted, verbal assault on Vindman:
BLACKBURN: Shannon, what we have is someone who defied his chain of command, and his direct supervisor said he had a problem with judgment. He had a problem with the chain of command, and he had a problem - Vindman had a problem with the president. The president wasn’t taking his advice. He didn’t like that, and he wanted the president to take his advice, and so what did he do? He defied that chain of command, he talked to somebody in the intel community, he then would not answer that question when he was asked if he had given this information to someone who was the whistleblower and ,of course, this is something that should cause everybody concern.
Look, you honor someone for their service to the country and certainly we honor the service that he gave to the country. …
[Vindman went] after the commander in chief and it is over a policy disagreement Everybody has said there is nothing that rises to the level of impeachment or bribery or extortion. The American people are tired of this and they want to get the facts, they want to get this over with.
It just so happens that Blackburn was repeating the exact anti-Vindman talking points the White House had sent to surrogates. But Bream, who is supposedly a “straight news” anchor, said nothing. That’s not a surprise because Fox News spread the same talking points across the network.
When Blackburn finally came up for air, Bream ended the interview.
Watch Bream enable the propaganda without having to do her own smearing below, from the November 22, 2019 Fox News @ Night.
T’would be nice were Kellyanne to follow that advice, she of the “alternate facts” statement some months ago.
(paraphrasing her) … go read the transcript. Nowhere will you find “quid pro quo”, nor “extortion”, nor “bribery”. These words are not in there. Hence those crimes don’t exist. I let that sink in a bit, then exploded into a long fit of incredulous, uncontrollable laughter.
I then created my own, totally fictional version of that July 25th call to spell out exactly what Kellyanne had the gall to claim. Essentially, Trump would have had to have added the following clarifications after saying: “We need you to do us a favor, though”:
What I mean is that this is a sort of quid pro quo; the aid I’ve put a hold on is a bribe so that you will give me dirt on the Bidens. In other words, this is an extortion, but I can do it because I’m the biggest, bestest, most anything -est president in USA history.
Snark warning (can’t be too careful with RWingers who watch Fox): the above is my version of what might convince Kellyanne. Perhaps. Maybe. Probably not.
💩💩💩💩💩 – 5 💩’s for her treatment of a patriot.
🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡 – 5 Bozos for just being herself.
Blackburn says "Everybody has said there is nothing that rises to the level of impeachment or bribery or extortion. "
Make me laugh! Has she been watching MSNBC? Or anyone but the sycophants at Fox News for that matter?
Blackburn says “Vindman had a problem with the president. The president wasn’t taking his advice.”
Earth to Fox News fact-checking host Shannon Bream please report in and correct Blackburn’s record here. Hello? Are you listening?
Vindman in his opening statement says he on two occasions reported his concerns to NSC council. Once following a meeting with Sondland, Volker, Bolton, etc in which Vindman additionally expressed his concerns to Sondland. And again after the infamous “perfect” phone call.
Ultimately, self-dealing corrupt scumbag Trump is at the end of Vindman’s chain of command and nobody but “yes” men are allowed to report to Dear Leader. So what’s the use of depending on ass-kissers to avert Trump’s own criminality?
Blackburn apparently imagines Vindman deliberately tried to get the information leaked. In fact, Vindman has said in the past that he doesn’t know who the whistleblower is but suspects it may be someone he discussed the matter with. Not the actions of a leaker and there is no evidence he purposely tried to leak information (e.g., to the press) and he certainly isn’t the whistleblower.
I’m pretty sure this interview was a complete set-up. Fox News screened Blackburn enough to know she’d happily reinforce Fox’s own defense of Dear Leader.
The situation in Washington is getting more Orwellian by the day. Lately, a navy seal under investigation (or on trial) for conduct unbecoming an American soldier was “acquitted” by the Dear Leader in compliance with what he heard on Fox and against everything told to him by the military top brass.
I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of an officer having to deal with a recalcitrant soldier spouting off RW tropes.