SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
In a new Sinclair segment, Boris Epshteyn, a former Trump adviser, tries to defend President Donald Trump's racist tweets targeting progressive lawmakers. (Photo: screenshot)
In Sinclair's New 'Must-Run' Segment, Former Trump Adviser Tries to Defend Racist Attacks on 'the Squad'
Echoing the president, the right-wing broadcasting behemoth's chief political commentator tells progressive lawmakers, "you are free to go."
Jul 17, 2019
Sinclair Broadcast Group, the nation's largest television station owner, is facing fresh scrutiny for its latest "must-run" segment, which features the right-wing broadcaster's chief political commentator Boris Epshteyn trying to defend President Donald Trump's recent racist attacks on a group of freshman Democratic congresswomen.
On Sunday, Trump targeted four progressive women of color collectively known as "the Squad"--Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.)--tweeting that they should "go back" to the countries "from which they came." That led the hashtag #RacistPresident to trend on Twitter and provoked widespread criticism, including a House resolution condemning Trump's comments that passed mostly along party lines.
Sinclair has often come under fire for forcing the local television news stations it owns nationwide to air "must-run" segments--including short clips of Epshteyn, a former Trump adviser, delivering right-wing commentaries. Epshteyn's attempted defense of Trump's racist tweets was highlighted by the watchdog group Media Matters for America in a blog post initially published Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the group updated the post to note that "by the morning of July 17, the segment had already aired on at least 50 local news stations in 27 states and the District of Columbia, according to the iQ media database."
In the new "Bottom Line with Boris" segment, Epshteyn claims that Trump "has spoken out against radical, far-left Democrats... who consistently bad-mouth the United States." Challenging the condemnation of Trump, he says that "the wrongful, knee-jerk conclusion that the president is somehow racist for criticizing those who denigrate America is reflective of a liberal ideology that is obsessed with identity politics."
"For those who believe that the American system is not for them, unlike the people in communist North Korea or socialist Venezuela, you are free to go," he adds, echoing Trump's tweets. "Love it or leave it."
This is far from the first time the broadcasting behemoth has pushed messages that reiterate Trump's inflammatory remarks. Last year, as Common Dreams reported at the time, Sinclair forced local news anchors to recite a script denouncing "fake" and "false" news stories, which bore a striking resemblance to the consistent hostility that the president directs at journalists, publications, and news networks. Deadspin, which edited together several of the scripted segments, accused Sinclair of turning its anchors "into soldiers in Trump's war on the media."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sinclair Broadcast Group, the nation's largest television station owner, is facing fresh scrutiny for its latest "must-run" segment, which features the right-wing broadcaster's chief political commentator Boris Epshteyn trying to defend President Donald Trump's recent racist attacks on a group of freshman Democratic congresswomen.
On Sunday, Trump targeted four progressive women of color collectively known as "the Squad"--Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.)--tweeting that they should "go back" to the countries "from which they came." That led the hashtag #RacistPresident to trend on Twitter and provoked widespread criticism, including a House resolution condemning Trump's comments that passed mostly along party lines.
Sinclair has often come under fire for forcing the local television news stations it owns nationwide to air "must-run" segments--including short clips of Epshteyn, a former Trump adviser, delivering right-wing commentaries. Epshteyn's attempted defense of Trump's racist tweets was highlighted by the watchdog group Media Matters for America in a blog post initially published Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the group updated the post to note that "by the morning of July 17, the segment had already aired on at least 50 local news stations in 27 states and the District of Columbia, according to the iQ media database."
In the new "Bottom Line with Boris" segment, Epshteyn claims that Trump "has spoken out against radical, far-left Democrats... who consistently bad-mouth the United States." Challenging the condemnation of Trump, he says that "the wrongful, knee-jerk conclusion that the president is somehow racist for criticizing those who denigrate America is reflective of a liberal ideology that is obsessed with identity politics."
"For those who believe that the American system is not for them, unlike the people in communist North Korea or socialist Venezuela, you are free to go," he adds, echoing Trump's tweets. "Love it or leave it."
This is far from the first time the broadcasting behemoth has pushed messages that reiterate Trump's inflammatory remarks. Last year, as Common Dreams reported at the time, Sinclair forced local news anchors to recite a script denouncing "fake" and "false" news stories, which bore a striking resemblance to the consistent hostility that the president directs at journalists, publications, and news networks. Deadspin, which edited together several of the scripted segments, accused Sinclair of turning its anchors "into soldiers in Trump's war on the media."
Sinclair Broadcast Group, the nation's largest television station owner, is facing fresh scrutiny for its latest "must-run" segment, which features the right-wing broadcaster's chief political commentator Boris Epshteyn trying to defend President Donald Trump's recent racist attacks on a group of freshman Democratic congresswomen.
On Sunday, Trump targeted four progressive women of color collectively known as "the Squad"--Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.)--tweeting that they should "go back" to the countries "from which they came." That led the hashtag #RacistPresident to trend on Twitter and provoked widespread criticism, including a House resolution condemning Trump's comments that passed mostly along party lines.
Sinclair has often come under fire for forcing the local television news stations it owns nationwide to air "must-run" segments--including short clips of Epshteyn, a former Trump adviser, delivering right-wing commentaries. Epshteyn's attempted defense of Trump's racist tweets was highlighted by the watchdog group Media Matters for America in a blog post initially published Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the group updated the post to note that "by the morning of July 17, the segment had already aired on at least 50 local news stations in 27 states and the District of Columbia, according to the iQ media database."
In the new "Bottom Line with Boris" segment, Epshteyn claims that Trump "has spoken out against radical, far-left Democrats... who consistently bad-mouth the United States." Challenging the condemnation of Trump, he says that "the wrongful, knee-jerk conclusion that the president is somehow racist for criticizing those who denigrate America is reflective of a liberal ideology that is obsessed with identity politics."
"For those who believe that the American system is not for them, unlike the people in communist North Korea or socialist Venezuela, you are free to go," he adds, echoing Trump's tweets. "Love it or leave it."
This is far from the first time the broadcasting behemoth has pushed messages that reiterate Trump's inflammatory remarks. Last year, as Common Dreams reported at the time, Sinclair forced local news anchors to recite a script denouncing "fake" and "false" news stories, which bore a striking resemblance to the consistent hostility that the president directs at journalists, publications, and news networks. Deadspin, which edited together several of the scripted segments, accused Sinclair of turning its anchors "into soldiers in Trump's war on the media."
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.