OAN’s James Meyers
4:29 PM – Wednesday, September 13, 2023
On Wednesday, the Biden administration emailed the heads of several major news organizations, including Fox News, CNN, The New York Times, and Axios in order to “ramp up their scrutiny” of House Republicans “for opening an impeachment inquiry based on lies.”
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The memo, titled: “It’s Time For The Media To Do More To Scrutinize House Republicans’ Demonstrably False Claims That They’re Basing Impeachment Stunt On,” was sent by Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations.
This comes after House Speaker Kevin Mccarthy (R-Calif.) ordered an impeachment inquiry on Tuesday into President Joe Biden’s alleged involvement in his son Hunter’s business deals with countries such as Ukraine and China.
“Through our investigations, we have found that President Biden did lie to the American people about his own knowledge of his family’s foreign business dealings,” the speaker charged, claiming that “these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption.”
Sams sent the letter first to select outlets on Tuesday and then to a White House press list on Wednesday.
“They should be playing hardball and instead what they’re doing is bitching about the media,” a White House reporter who regularly attends briefings told The New York Post.
“I don’t think the media likes being told what to do. I think it’s going to backfire,” the reporter said, adding, “it seems to say to me that they believe the media will just do what the White House tells them. It’s a terrible look for the administration.”
Furthermore, the reporter added that a “hardball” approach might stop Republican claims by addressing factual disputes and giving further context.
Matthew Keys, another journalist who covers White House efforts, tweeted: “This is not OK, the White House should not be encouraging, influencing or interfering in the editorial strategies of America’s newsrooms, Including CNN and the New York Times.”
“Now, any time the media DOES try to hold Republican lawmakers to account, those lawmakers can simply counter by questioning whether it’s actual journalism or something encouraged by the Biden administration.”
“The problem is they’re trying to influence coverage,” Keys concluded. “The government should never do that. It is inappropriate.”
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By: OAN
