Newsmax’s coverage of Jimmy Carter’s death and funeral was largely balanced — it pretty much behaved like a real news organization. But it is part of the ConWeb, after all, which means it had to take some partisan shots at Carter. Newsmax’s partisan talking heads got their licks in, with a focus on tying him to Joe Biden:
- Craig Shirley to Newsmax: Biden’s Legacy Mirrors Carter’s
- Fred Fleitz to Newsmax: Carter Had Bad Ideas But More Integrity Than Biden
- CNN’s Jennings: Jimmy Carter a Terrible President
Others trotted out more personal attacks. First up was a former Newsmax writer (though not identified as such) in a Dec. 30 article by Jim Thomas:
Former Secret Service agents paint a starkly different picture of President Jimmy Carter’s character than the one recently praised by President Joe Biden, author and investigative journalist Ronald Kessler revealed Monday on Newsmax.
In an interview on “Finnerty” discussing his book “The First Family Detail,” Kessler claimed that Carter was viewed as “the most detested president in modern times” by many Secret Service agents who protected him.
Kessler’s view opposes Biden’s recent praise of Carter. Following Carter’s death at 100 years old, Biden told reporters that Carter exemplified “decency.”
[…]Kessler cited multiple incidents described by agents to support his belief, contrasting sharply with the public perception of Carter as a paragon of humility and decency.
According to Kessler, Carter would stage photo opportunities to appear relatable but allegedly behaved quite differently once the cameras were off.
“Typically, he would walk around with luggage, pretending he was a member of the common man,” Kessler said. “Actually, the luggage was empty. Or, in other cases, he would carry luggage full of clothes in front of cameras, but as soon as they were gone, he’d hand it to aides.”
[…]Kessler alleged Carter’s disdain extended to the military. He cited reports that Carter, when visiting his hometown of Plains, Georgia, insisted that the military aide carrying the nuclear football remained at least 10 miles from his residence.
“He hated the military and made derisive comments about them,” Kessler said.
He argued that such actions could have jeopardized national security in the event of a nuclear attack, as the delay in accessing the nuclear codes might have left the U.S. vulnerable.
But Kessler has something of a shaky record on such things. One writer found factual inaccuracies in a book he wrote on the Secret Service.
John Gizzi served up his own Carter-bashing in his Dec. 31 column:
“Carter Dies At 100 After Life Guided By Moral Principles” read the Page One story in the Financial Times, leading to a tribute by veteran FT correspondent Jurek Martin that hailed the 39th president as one who devoted his post-White House years “to the sort of problems that he thought an engineer with a highly developed social conscience could solve.”
That is how most Americans and people worldwide are characterizing Jimmy Carter — overtaken by problems at home and abroad while president, his qualities as an upright and moral man shined as a former president.
But there was another side to Carter that those who watched him in past years recognized: a driven, win-at-all-costs politician and one whose meddling with the Department of Justice to punish opponents could only be labeled “weaponization.”
[…]In the days leading up to Carter’s state funeral, we will hear much about his Christianity, his moral character, and his sense of right. The mean-spiritedness and vindictiveness he showed toward political opponents and just how his career was launched are unlikely to be recalled by many — if any.
Larry Bell played the Carter-Biden card again in a sneering Jan. 3 column:
Jimmy Carter was blessed by a century-long life and righteous knowledge that his historic legacy as America’s worst president has now been eclipsed by the most recent Oval Office resident.
[…]President Joe Biden’s corrupt and incompetent legacy is a less prosperous, safe and respected America than Jimmy Carter’s harshest critics might have imagined.
Bell is a far-right partisan, so his analysis is meaningless.