CNS Circled The Right-Wing Wagons Around Trump As Indictment Loomed

After Donald Trump floated the idea in March that his arrest was imminent, CNSNews.com unsurprisingly rushed to publish numerous articles about right-wingers defending him and attacking the district attorney investigating him, Alvin Bragg (whom CNS curiously makes sure to note is based in Manhattan):

• McCarthy: Manhattan District Attorney ‘Is Abusing His Office to Target President Trump’
• Oversight Chairman: Trump Indictment Would Be ‘Another Example of a Two-Tiered System of Justice’
• Sen. Kennedy: ‘America’s Institutions Should Not Be…Perceived to Be Political’
• Rep. Byron Donalds: Manhattan DA Should Go After People ‘Perpetrating Crimes’ Against New Yorkers Instead of Playing ‘Gotcha Politics’
• Rep. Jordan Tells D.A. Bragg He’s Got Bigger Things to Worry About Than Trying to Indict Political Opponents Like Trump
• Hannity: D.A. Bragg Is Practicing Stalin’s ‘Show Me the Man, I’ll Show You the Crime’ Philosophy

A March 20 article by Susan Jones touted CNS’ favorite right-wing radio host defending Trump:

First of all, whatever payment was made to Stormy Daniels, it’s not “hush money,” Mark Levin told the Fox News audience on Sunday morning. Nor were campaign funds used, he added.

“Every one of these cases is bogus, just like the Mueller case was bogus, just like the phone call to Ukraine was perfectly fine, two bogus impeachments — this is outrageous,” Levin said.

“Donald Trump today is the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president. Can you believe a local D.A. knows that he doesn’t have the law, state or federal, on his side, and is trying to cripple the nomination for the presidency?”

Never mind of course. that none of thesepoliticians or commentators had seen any of the evidence Bragg had against Trump.

Editor Terry Jeffrey used a March 22 column to cheer the widow of a New York City police officer kiled in the line of duty for using her eulogy to attack Bragg (though without mentioning Trump).

As Trump’s self-declared arrest date passed without incident, CNS and Trump’s supporters (but we repeat ourselves) started feeling a little cocky. A March 24 article by Craig Bannister happily touted how Hannity flip-flopped on Bragg (but didn’t note that’s what he did) by declaring that “the case died this very week” and that “it seems he can’t indict a ham sandwich.”

But when news of Trump’s actual indictment broke on March 30, CNS led with an article by Melanie Arter that quoted the reaction of only Trump and one of his lawyers, then went into full meltdown (and Trump defense) mode:

• Trump: ‘Get-Trump’ Democrats Are ‘Weaponizing Our Justice System to Punish a Political Opponent’
• DeSantis Calls Trump Indictment ‘Un-American’; Says Florida Won’t Assist in an Extradition Request
• Military Intelligence Analyst: ‘We Are Destabilizing Our Own Country’ With Trump Indictment
• Rep. Matt Gaetz: ‘I Spoke With President Trump…He’s Concerned About What This Does to America’s Brand Around the World’
• Prison Wouldn’t Disqualify Trump from Presidency; We’re ‘Entering Banana Republic Land’: Alan Dershowitz
• Sen. Hawley: Dems’ Trump Indictment Sends a Message: ‘We Are in Charge Here and if You Threaten Us, We Will Destroy You’
• Mark Levin on Trump Indictment: This is a ‘War on Conservatism and MAGA’ to Stop Trump From Getting Reelected
• Trump Attorney: ‘Today, the Rule of Law in the United States of America Died’
• Sen. Cassidy: ‘Political Theater’ of Trump Indictment Will ‘Distract’ From Important Issues

Managing editor Michael W. Chapman also wrote a roundup item hyping how “conservatives and Republicans across the country denounced the step as a ‘political witch hunt’ designed to try to keep Trump from running for president in 2024 against Democrat Joe Biden.” By contrast, CNS published only one article critical of Trump — quoting Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff denouncing Trump’s threat of “death and destruction” — and one neutral article, quoting the Biden White House stating it had no advance knowledge of Trump’s indictment.

Jeffrey also expanded his praise for the police officer’s widow trashing Bragg into a full “news” article on April 3 and touting that she got a “standing ovation” — never mind that this had happened nearly three months earlier and was not actually “news.” Perhaps this contrarian definition of what constitutes “news” is one reason why CNS was shut down by its Media Research Center parent on  April 20.