MRC Complains That Trump’s (Third) Indictment Is Considered News

As it had before with previous indictments, the Media Research Center rushed to defend Donald Trump after his third indictment with the usual distractions and whataboutism. An Aug. 1 post by Kevin Tober whining that that the non-right-wing media covered additional charges under a previous indictment:

Late Tuesday afternoon, Biden DOJ-appointed special prosecutor Jack Smith announced yet another indictment against former President Donald Trump on four separate counts. This time related to his alleged actions in the run-up to the January 6 riots at the United States Capitol. In stark contrast to their dismissive coverage of Hunter Biden’s criminal activity, the three networks spent a combined 24 minutes and 36 seconds on the third indictment of Trump. 

ABC’s World News Tonight was the worst offender when it comes to the obsessive network coverage. In total, the network spent 11 minutes and 56 seconds harping on the news. Their total airtime dedicated to reporting the news (minus teases and commercials) was 19 minutes flat, which meant over 60 percent (62.8%) was about Trump.

Tober didn’t explain why a former president getting indicted yet again wasn’t newsworthy. An Aug. 2 post by Alex Christy similarly complained about newsworthiness:

If CNN has a line on hyperbolic rhetoric about former President Donald Trump, law enforcement analyst and former D.C. police officer Michael Fanone almost crossed it on Tuesday’s CNN Tonight when he compared Trump’s new indictment related to the aftermath of the 2020 Election to the death of Osama bin Laden. Even liberal host Laura Coates was shocked by the comparison.

After Coates asked Fanone his thoughts, he recalled that, “When I first learned about the indictment, I had a long conversation with a friend of mine, Ryan Reilly, and I told him how proud I felt to be an American at that moment. Much in the way that I did when I learned that our military had killed Osama bin Laden. I just felt incredibly proud.”

Amid some crosstalk, a confused Coates sought clarification, “These two seem comfortable to you?… I’m sorry, I don’t want to cut you off, but why that comparison in particular?… In what way?”

Doubling down, Fanone declared, “Osama bin Laden was a terrorist who committed a horrific act against American people and against our republic. And I believe that Donald Trump is a terrorist who committed horrific acts against the American people.”

Curtis Houck played Hunter Biden whataboutism on indictment coverage:

With Tuesday’s third indictment of former President Trump, the “big three” networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC had their ticket out of having to acknowledge the scandals surrounding the Biden family, including reasons to continue skipping Burisma bribery claims and no longer probe Monday’s testimony from Hunter Biden’s former business partner, Devon Archer.

Between their flagship Tuesday evening (24:36) and Wednesday morning news shows (46:05), they’ve spent a whopping 70 minutes and 41 seconds obsessing over the charges filed against Trump relating to January 6 riot and claims about the 2020 election.

All three networks were within two minutes of each other with NBC at 22 minutes and 17 seconds, CBS at 23 minutes and 28 seconds, and then ABC on top at 24 minutes and 56 seconds. Each of these networks far exceeded what all three put up for post-Archer hearing coverage, which was only eight minutes and 32 seconds.

Mark Finkelstein groused about another Osama bin Liden reference to Trump’s indictment:

On Wednesday’s Morning Joe, liberal historian Michael Beschloss said that the indictment of former President Trump “fits perfectly into the American story” because there has been a history of “monsters” seeking to destroy American democracy. Beschloss cited the Confederacy, the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Osama Bin Laden.

In the context of commenting on the new indictment of Trump relating to January 6th, an apparently panicked Beschloss [see screencap] described Trump as a “monster” like Bin Laden. And in a bit of unhinged scare-mongering, Beschloss warned that if elected, Trump will institute a “presidential dictatorship” and “take away our democracy.”

“9/11/2001, Osama bin Laden and other terrorists hated our democracy, tried to destroy it. You see where I’m going,” he proclaimed.

Finkelstein was giddy at the prospect that his fellow normally law-and-order right-wingers won’t accept their their favorite presidential candidate is a criminal:

Beschloss didn’t offer any evidence in support of his claim that Trump has said that the would institute a “presidential dictatorship,” or that he would “take our democracy away.”

As for the indictment somehow saving America from Trump being elected: even a conviction would not legally bar Trump from running and serving, and Trump has indicated that would be his intention. Indeed, this indictment, which even the National Review has editorialized “shouldn’t stand,” could be the very thing that propels Trump back into the White House.

Be careful what you wish for, Michael Beschloss and the rest of the liberal establishment!

Houck took over the MRC’s Aug. 2 podcast to rehash his complaint about “the astounding totals of coverage on ABC, CBS, and NBC” of the Trump indictment,” again claiming that this “has given the networks the perfect excuse to wave goodbye to any and all Biden scandals for an indefinite period of time.”

Houck whined again that Trump’s indictment was treated as news, with added Biden whataboutism, in an Aug. 3 post:

On Wednesday afternoon, NewsBusters brought you the tally of broadcast network coverage of the third Trump indictment as having stood at roughly 70 minutes (70:41) on the flagship morning and evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC. Unsurprisingly, the coverage ballooned ahead of Trump’s arraignment Thursday afternoon on charges relating to his conduct on and prior to January 6. The total this time? Roughly 112 minutes (111:57).

Another pattern held serve as, thanks to this third Trump indictment and the liberal media’s obsession with all things Trump (including elevating his 2024 candidacy), the networks again had nothing on Wednesday night and Thursday morning about any of the scandals pertaining to the Biden presidency, Hunter Biden’s life of ruin, or allegations of corruption against President Joe Biden.

The three remained in close touch on the stop watch with ABC still in first place with 38 minutes and 48 seconds.

Houck didn’t explain why he apparenty thinks Trump’s indictment should be censored.

Nicholas Fondacaro melted down over the ladies of “The View” — whom he once again smeared as a “cackling coven” — had an opinion on Trump’s latest indictment:

With 2024 on the horizon, the Cackling Coven of ABC’s The View really wanted former President Trump out of the picture. So much so that co-host Sara Haines was flabbergasted on Thursday by the notion that he would get a fair trial and not have any potential jury pool poisoned by the Justice Department releasing information pre-trial. They also fantasized about what his imprisonment situation would be like with Joy Behar saying she would settle for him being exiled somewhere, anywhere.

Referencing an interview Trump Attorney General Bill Barr gave to CNN the previous night, Haines couldn’t wrap her mind around why Trump deserved to have a fair trial, admitting it “blew my mind”:

Fondacaro again referenced “Racist co-host Sunny Hostin,” apparently still under the delusion that his inability to understand how metaphors work justifies the smear.

Tober returned to rant that someone said nice things about Smith:

During CBS’s live coverage of former President Donald Trump’s arraignment on charges related to the January 6 riots at the United States Capitol and his alleged attempt to “overturn” the results of the 2020 presidential election, anchor Norah O’Donnell and correspondent Robert Costa heaped sycophantic praise for the corrupt anti-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith. O’Donnell took a break from analyzing the multiple indictments Trump was facing as they were speaking to Beclown herself by swooning over Smith and his so-called “grit” and “determination.”   

“Also in the courtroom is a special counsel, Jack Smith,” O’Donnell observed. “He is essentially who Donald Trump is up against in multiple of these indictments,” she said referring to Smith. “The two of course the classified documents and the January 6 one. And they’re sitting across from each other inside this courtroom.”

Tober offered no evidence to back up has assertion that Smith is “corrupt,” unless he’s arguing that merely indicting a Republican is evidence of “corruption.” Instead, he closed by huffing: “The media is enjoying this saga way too much. They can’t be trusted to report on these indictments and trials objectively. It’s all a game to them.” But that falsely suggests that Fox News is somehow not part of “the media” — Tober didn’t tell us how Fox News is covering the indictment — and it ignores that Tober and the rest of the MRC can’t be trusted to report on Trump’s indictments objectively because its anti-media agenda is nothing but a game to them.