Trump calls on Fox News to fire reporter who confirmed some parts of Atlantic story

 https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7309929059139673041/7478768499517845676

 For years, Fox News has worked to undermine and discredit the work of other news organizations that have reported damning details about President Trump and his administration. But on Friday, something unusual happened: The network turned a skeptical eye toward reporting from its own correspondent.

After spending much of the day bashing The Atlantic for Jeffrey Goldberg's jarring report which said Trump had disparaged military members who died in service to the country, Fox News itself confirmed key aspects of it. In a lengthy Twitter thread, correspondent Jennifer Griffin said she had confirmed Trump disparaged veterans; didn't want to honor the dead at the Aisne-Marne Cemetery; and did not want to lower flags after the death of John McCain.

 An actual news organization would aggressively tout that it had matched much of the reporting at the center of the biggest news story of the day — especially given that Fox rarely delivers on original reporting of its own. And it would have mattered because Fox viewers are so often shielded from the truth. But Fox didn't proudly hold up Griffin's reporting. Instead, it acted as if it were ashamed and inconvenienced by it.

Former Defense Secretary Hagel on Trump's comments: It's degrading and despicable

Former US Army captain: Troops knew about Trump before article

Will POTUS Supporters Criticize His Latest Remarks? | Morning Joe | MSNBC

VoteVets Director of Govt. Relations, Will Goodwin, Discusses Atlantic Article - MSNBC

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Fox News Denies Own Reporter Confirmed Trump Used ‘Suckers and Losers’ After Airing Interview of Her Confirming It

 https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/fox-news-denies-own-reporter-confirmed-trump-used-suckers-and-losers-1055782/

 On Saturday morning, following a late Friday night tweet from the president calling on Fox News to fire her, the network’s national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin told host Neil Cavuto that Trump did indeed use the sort of language The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg said the president had.

After being asked about The Atlantic’s framing of Trump’s comments, Griffin told Cavuto that she double-checked with her sources this morning and they reconfirmed both Goldberg’s reporting and her own.

 On Friday during Fox News’ The Five, the hosts, with a total disregard for their own network’s reporting, called the story a “hoax” and a “scam.” And later, Fox News’ chief political news anchor Bret Baier reported on the story with a chyron that read: “Fake News.”

Trump’s propaganda network seems to be fighting with itself on this one, and the viewers, as the president might say, are the big losers.

GOP lawmaker defends Fox reporter after Trump calls for her firing

 https://thehill.com/homenews/house/515267-gop-lawmaker-defends-fox-reporter-after-trump-calls-for-her-firing

 GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) on Saturday defended Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin after President Trump targeted the journalist on Twitter and called for her to be fired.

Trump went after Griffin, a national security correspondent, after she reported that former officials had backed up some details of an explosive report about Trump published this week by The Atlantic.

“She’s one of my favorite reporters. Fair and unafraid,” Kinzinger wrote in response to Trump calling for Griffin to be fired.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin: ‘My Sources Are Unimpeachable’

 https://www.forbes.com/sites/markjoyella/2020/09/05/fox-news-journalists-defend-colleague-targeted-by-president-trump/#5206d7c02a84

 Fox News Channel journalists have rushed to defend their colleague, correspondent Jennifer Griffin, after President Donald Trump suggested on Twitter that Griffin “should be fired” after she confirmed reporting by The Atlantic that detailed President Trump repeatedly disparaging members of the military, the nation’s war dead, and wounded veterans.

 On Friday, Griffin—citing two former senior Trump Administration officials—confirmed key elements of The Atlantic’s story, including Trump’s decision not to drive to the Aisle-Marne Cemetery outside Paris to honor fallen American soldiers. “The President drives a lot,” one of Griffin’s sources said, “the other world leaders drove to the cemeteries. He just didn't want to go.”

 That angered the president, who called for Griffin’s dismissal and added “Fox News is gone!” But Fox News journalists were quick to join reporters from other outlets in defending Griffin. Bryan Llenas, a Fox News national correspondent, said “Jennifer Griffin is the kind of reporter we all strive to be like. She’s courageous, smart, ethical, fair and a class act.”

Trump fumes over troops report, amplifies memo against anti-racism training at OMB

 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/05/trump-military-the-atlantic-omb-report-409312

President Donald Trump on Saturday continued to rail against a report that alleged he denigrated U.S. military veterans and their service, further criticizing the late Sen. John McCain and labeling the reporter a "slimeball" after calling for the firing of a Fox News journalist who confirmed parts of the report.

Trump’s ongoing public effort to contain the fallout from the bombshell report entered its third day after the president on Friday attempted to repudiate the allegations in two press conferences and on social media, including having current and former administration officials speak out as character witnesses.

 

Judge rules DeVos plan to give more coronavirus relief to private schools is illegal

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/devos-plan-coronavirus-relief-private-schools-illegal

 A Washington federal judge Friday tossed out Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' policy that would have funneled millions in coronavirus relief to private schools in a ruling that has nationwide impact.

 U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a President Trump appointee, vacated the plan DeVos unveiled this summer to divert more of the $16 billion Congress passed in emergency K-12 education funding away from public schools to private schools. The judge found the rule was unlawful and DeVos' action to better help private schools contrary to Congress' intent for the money under the CARES Act legislation.

Donald Trump attacks 'slimeball' reporter in war dead row

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54042237

He likened the Atlantic magazine report to unproven accusations made against him of colluding with Russia to win the presidential election of 2016.

The damning quotes were corroborated independently by The Associated Press.

Veterans' groups are among those condemning Mr Trump, less than two months from the 2020 election.

 

Ignoring warnings from election officials, Trump again suggests supporters should try to vote twice

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/05/politics/trump-vote-twice-north-carolina/index.html

 President Donald Trump suggested to his supporters on Friday night that if they vote by mail they should also attempt to vote in person as a way to check that their vote is counted, which risks causing chaos at the polls and undermining confidence in the election.

 

AP FACT CHECK: Trump on McCain; Biden’s stretch on virus

 https://apnews.com/6f4fd0361a6b337c9d07ddd6ee0bce20

TRUMP: “Also, I never called John a loser and swear on whatever, or whoever, I was asked to swear on, that I never called our great fallen soldiers anything other than HEROES.” — tweet Thursday.

THE FACTS: He called McCain a loser.

In addition, The Associated Press has confirmed many of the comments Trump was reported by The Atlantic to have made disparaging fallen or captured U.S. service members, such as his description of the American dead in a military graveyard as “losers.”

Trump disparaged US war dead as ‘losers,’ ‘suckers’

 https://apnews.com/b823f2c285641a4a09a96a0b195636ed

 A new report details multiple instances of President Donald Trump making disparaging remarks about members of the U.S. military who have been captured or killed, including referring to the American war dead at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France in 2018 as “losers” and “suckers.”

Trump said Thursday that the story is “totally false.”

The allegations were first reported in The Atlantic. A senior Defense Department official with firsthand knowledge of events and a senior U.S. Marine Corps officer who was told about Trump’s comments confirmed some of the remarks to The Associated Press, including the 2018 cemetery comments.

The defense officials said Trump made the comments as he begged off visiting the cemetery outside Paris during a meeting following his presidential daily briefing on the morning of Nov. 10, 2018.