In a May 29 WorldNetDaily article, Aaron Klein claims that “the U.S. is backing protesters, many of whom, informed Middle Eastern security officials tell WND, are now pressing to openly announce an affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood” in Syria. As is his modus operandi for such Obama-bashing claims, Klein quotes no one on the record. He cites the following to back up his reporting in the article:
- “informed Middle Eastern security officials”
- “Middle Eastern security officials” (it’s not clear if these are as “informed” as his other group of “Middle Eastern security officials”)
- ‘Egyptian security officials”
- “Several knowledgeable Egyptian and Arab security officials”
- “One Egyptian security official”
- “An Egyptian military attaché”
How many of these are the same people? Who knows? It’s difficult to take such reporting seriously with this level of overlapping anonymity.
Not only is Klein hiding behind these supposed anonymous sources, the tone of his article is surprisingly solicitous of Syria’s Assad regime, calling it merely embattled and giving the regime’s spokesman plenty of space to deny that the regime was responsible for the execution of civilians, including children, in the town of Houla.
Last year, Klein served as a mouthpiece for another Middle Eastern dictator, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak.