McCain Penns Op-Ed Blasting Trump for ‘Unrelenting Attacks’ on the Press
“Mr. President, stop attacking the press.”
That is the headline on a new op-ed criticizing President Trump‘s attacks on the press from Senator John McCain.
Last month, McCain publicly expressed his concern about how Trump’s “harmful rhetoric” against the press has ripple effects around the world.
Tonight he’s making that statement more directly:
Reagan recognized that as leader of the free world, his words carried enormous weight, and he used it to inspire the unprecedented spread of democracy around the world.
President Trump does not seem to understand that his rhetoric and actions reverberate in the same way. He has threatened to continue his attempt to discredit the free press by bestowing “fake news awards” upon reporters and news outlets whose coverage he disagrees with. Whether Trump knows it or not, these efforts are being closely watched by foreign leaders who are already using his words as cover as they silence and shutter one of the key pillars of democracy.
Tomorrow is the day President Trump announced for his “Fake News Awards” (though earlier today Sarah Huckabee Sanders called it a “potential event”).
McCain brings up the disturbing stats on press freedom worldwide before saying, “While administration officials often condemn violence against reporters abroad, Trump continues his unrelenting attacks on the integrity of American journalists and news outlets. This has provided cover for repressive regimes to follow suit.”
He specifically cites a report saying that in 2017, a number of journalists were charged with “fake news.”
Senator Jeff Flake, who is set to deliver a speech denouncing the President’s attacks on the press, touted McCain’s op-ed tonight:
Must read op-ed by @SenJohnMcCain on respect for the freedom of the press. I’ll add my thoughts on the Senate floor tomorrow morning. https://t.co/1dPhxRtERe
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) January 17, 2018
You can read the full op-ed here.
[image via screengrab]
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