Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) has appeared frequently on cable news over the past two years to outline what many saw as evidence that President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign had colluded with Russia. (Photo: @MSNBC/Twitter)
Mar 25, 2019
President Donald Trump's 2020 re-election campaign attempted to intimidate cable news networks who covered Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe on Monday but earned only derision from journalists and others.
Tim Murtaugh, communications director for Trump's campaign, sent a memo to TV news producers at networks including CNN and MSNBC, imploring them to either ban guests who had claimed there was evidence that Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia, or challenge them on their claims.
\u201cThe Trump campaign is sending this memo to TV producers:\u201d— Jonathan Swan (@Jonathan Swan) 1553540284
"You should begin by asking the basic question: Does this guest warrant further appearances in our programming, given the outrageous and unsupported claims made in the past?" wrote Murtaugh to the networks.
"If these guests do reappear, you should replay the prior statements and challenge them to provide the evidence which prompted them to make the wild claims in the first place," he added.
The memo was circulated a day after Attorney General William Barr said that Mueller's report had cleared the president of having coordinated with Russian officials and was inconclusive as to whether Trump committed obstruction of justice.
A number of critics condemned the Trump campaign's apparent desire to compile a list of "political enemies."
\u201cAh yes, a political enemies list. Totally normal in a healthy democracy...\u201d— Katelyn Burns (@Katelyn Burns) 1553542090
\u201cYes it would be a shame if tv kept booking and hosting partisans who lie all the time, signed the trump campaign\u201d— Asawin Suebsaeng (@Asawin Suebsaeng) 1553540692
\u201cGoose-stepping morons.\u201d— Charles P. Pierce (@Charles P. Pierce) 1553542247
While many on the left have called for introspection from the media in the wake of the Mueller investigation, as Murtaugh did in his memo,some rejected the campaign's assertion that accusations made against Trump--considering the fact that his former campaign manager and former national security adviser were among the34 Trump associates who were indicted as a result of the probe--were particularly "outrageous" at the time they were made.
\u201cThis Trump campaign memo seeking to de-platform Democrats constitutionally duty-bound to check executive abuses of power, on the basis of claims consistent with Barr's gloss on Mueller's report, gives away the aim of the game: no rule of law, no oversight. https://t.co/jKtPg1isB9\u201d— Will Wilkinson \ud83c\udf10 (@Will Wilkinson \ud83c\udf10) 1553543029
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President Donald Trump's 2020 re-election campaign attempted to intimidate cable news networks who covered Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe on Monday but earned only derision from journalists and others.
Tim Murtaugh, communications director for Trump's campaign, sent a memo to TV news producers at networks including CNN and MSNBC, imploring them to either ban guests who had claimed there was evidence that Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia, or challenge them on their claims.
\u201cThe Trump campaign is sending this memo to TV producers:\u201d— Jonathan Swan (@Jonathan Swan) 1553540284
"You should begin by asking the basic question: Does this guest warrant further appearances in our programming, given the outrageous and unsupported claims made in the past?" wrote Murtaugh to the networks.
"If these guests do reappear, you should replay the prior statements and challenge them to provide the evidence which prompted them to make the wild claims in the first place," he added.
The memo was circulated a day after Attorney General William Barr said that Mueller's report had cleared the president of having coordinated with Russian officials and was inconclusive as to whether Trump committed obstruction of justice.
A number of critics condemned the Trump campaign's apparent desire to compile a list of "political enemies."
\u201cAh yes, a political enemies list. Totally normal in a healthy democracy...\u201d— Katelyn Burns (@Katelyn Burns) 1553542090
\u201cYes it would be a shame if tv kept booking and hosting partisans who lie all the time, signed the trump campaign\u201d— Asawin Suebsaeng (@Asawin Suebsaeng) 1553540692
\u201cGoose-stepping morons.\u201d— Charles P. Pierce (@Charles P. Pierce) 1553542247
While many on the left have called for introspection from the media in the wake of the Mueller investigation, as Murtaugh did in his memo,some rejected the campaign's assertion that accusations made against Trump--considering the fact that his former campaign manager and former national security adviser were among the34 Trump associates who were indicted as a result of the probe--were particularly "outrageous" at the time they were made.
\u201cThis Trump campaign memo seeking to de-platform Democrats constitutionally duty-bound to check executive abuses of power, on the basis of claims consistent with Barr's gloss on Mueller's report, gives away the aim of the game: no rule of law, no oversight. https://t.co/jKtPg1isB9\u201d— Will Wilkinson \ud83c\udf10 (@Will Wilkinson \ud83c\udf10) 1553543029
President Donald Trump's 2020 re-election campaign attempted to intimidate cable news networks who covered Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe on Monday but earned only derision from journalists and others.
Tim Murtaugh, communications director for Trump's campaign, sent a memo to TV news producers at networks including CNN and MSNBC, imploring them to either ban guests who had claimed there was evidence that Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia, or challenge them on their claims.
\u201cThe Trump campaign is sending this memo to TV producers:\u201d— Jonathan Swan (@Jonathan Swan) 1553540284
"You should begin by asking the basic question: Does this guest warrant further appearances in our programming, given the outrageous and unsupported claims made in the past?" wrote Murtaugh to the networks.
"If these guests do reappear, you should replay the prior statements and challenge them to provide the evidence which prompted them to make the wild claims in the first place," he added.
The memo was circulated a day after Attorney General William Barr said that Mueller's report had cleared the president of having coordinated with Russian officials and was inconclusive as to whether Trump committed obstruction of justice.
A number of critics condemned the Trump campaign's apparent desire to compile a list of "political enemies."
\u201cAh yes, a political enemies list. Totally normal in a healthy democracy...\u201d— Katelyn Burns (@Katelyn Burns) 1553542090
\u201cYes it would be a shame if tv kept booking and hosting partisans who lie all the time, signed the trump campaign\u201d— Asawin Suebsaeng (@Asawin Suebsaeng) 1553540692
\u201cGoose-stepping morons.\u201d— Charles P. Pierce (@Charles P. Pierce) 1553542247
While many on the left have called for introspection from the media in the wake of the Mueller investigation, as Murtaugh did in his memo,some rejected the campaign's assertion that accusations made against Trump--considering the fact that his former campaign manager and former national security adviser were among the34 Trump associates who were indicted as a result of the probe--were particularly "outrageous" at the time they were made.
\u201cThis Trump campaign memo seeking to de-platform Democrats constitutionally duty-bound to check executive abuses of power, on the basis of claims consistent with Barr's gloss on Mueller's report, gives away the aim of the game: no rule of law, no oversight. https://t.co/jKtPg1isB9\u201d— Will Wilkinson \ud83c\udf10 (@Will Wilkinson \ud83c\udf10) 1553543029
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.