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Robert Gibbs Slams Fox News Over Michael Brown Conspiracy Theory

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by Tommy Christopher | 5:30 pm, May 4th, 2010

» 37 comments

At today’s White House briefing, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs laid into Fox News correspondent Wendell Goler, taking the network to task for an appearance by Michael Brown (of “Heckuva Job, Brownie” fame) in which he suggested that the Obama administration deliberately let the Gulf Oil Spill worsen in order to influence energy policy. Gibbs even suggested that Goler “call headquarters, my friend,” and find out whose decision it was to put Brown on the air.

In fact, Gibbs took Brown’s accusation a step further than the former FEMA Director actually went. Gibbs says that Brown accused the administration of causing the leak for political gain. Brown’s almost equally loony contention was that the administration simply let the leak worsen for political gain, and swooped in too late, when it was already out of hand. Now, where would Brown ever get an idea like that?

Gibbs criticized Fox for “not push(ing) back too hard,” and for “having someone like that” on the air. Of course, if Brown is willing to show his face, any network would be crazy not to put him on, especially with the popularity of the false “Obama’s Katrina” narrative. In later remarks, Gibbs seems to narrow his criticism to not prepping the interview adequately.

Here is the clip to which Gibbs was referring. Cavuto doesn’t seem at all surprised by Brown’s assertion, and doesn’t follow up (or “push back”) at all, and even seems to lead Brown a little at the end, asking if calling this the “BP spill” is part of the strategy.

Brownie, Gulf Oil Spill, Heckuva Job, Michael Brown, Robert Gibbs, Tommy Christopher, Wendell Goler

Johnny M

Well Brown is on Matthews now, so maybe tomorrow Gibbs can blame MSNBC for “having someone like that” on air.
TEXICAN

Hey, Johnny, does it not concern you that Fox News deliberately distorts real news strories to associate negativity with anything left of their agenda? That isn’t real news, sir.
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

People should LISTEN to this man because he is an expert on ARABIAN HORSES and oil comes from ARABIA and that’s what spilled in the Gulf!!1 It just MAKES SENSE, people!!1
Big_F-ing_Deal

Brilliant smackdown by gibbs!!!
Goler was embarrassed by who he works for distanced himself from them.

Today has really brought out the insanity of the right wing scum, both with the Times Square attack and the oil spill. Really entertaining to watch (and read on this blog).

I haven’t had this much fun since the Obama’s “Somalia Pirate disaster”. lmfao
Grammie

No loonier, in fact far less loony than all the Katrina speculation that Bush broke the levees (Jesse Jackson, I think) or that FEMA didn’t respond properly b/c GWB hates black people and wanted them to die or The Truthers or the quick ID by the CIA/FBI of the hijackers proved gov involvement.

BTW, Tommy, I do watch Cavuto fairly often and rarely visibly reacts to anything said by his guests. I think he has a pretty good poker face.

As an aside check this out from:

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2009/08/answers_are_scarce_in_study_of.html

” The statistics “do not directly support claims that African-Americans were more likely to become fatalities, ” as some believed in the storm’s aftermath, the study said. A slightly smaller percentage of African-American residents died in comparison to the pre-Katrina population numbers for the neighborhoods in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes that the study examined.

Of the 818 fatalities for which race is listed, 55 percent were African-American, compared to 40 percent white, 2 percent Hispanic and 1 percent Asian-Pacific. There were 35 victims in the deaths studied for whom race was unknown.”
MichelleF

So Tommy, according to your template of if you are a guest on a show, the interviewer should challenge you, Katie Couric maybe should have challenged bloomberg on his accusation that the bomber could be someone mad about obamacare?
MichelleF

And Tommy,
I have about a million other examples if you would like to start reporting on those also. Liberal Hack!
MichelleF

Or how about Bill Clinton implying Rush Limbaugh was to blame for Ok City.

Should that have maybe been challenged.
MichelleF

On Thursday’s Countdown show, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann tied Fox News to the recent threats against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as he quoted the mother of the accused, Greg Giusti.

Should Mediaite maybe have called him out on that one?
MichelleF

What about when Pelosi called the tea-partiers astroturphers and brown shirts.

Should the media have challenged her on that?
Big_F-ing_Deal

Haha…psychbitch goes for 5 in a row!
MichelleF

Big_F-ing_Deal says:
May 4, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Haha…psychbitch goes for 5 in a row!

Do you anything of substance to add. Perhaps comments on what I actually wrote, instead of just calling me vile names? I mean how old are you?
timzank

So once again Gibbs attacked the messenger (Fox) instead of the accuser. Obfuscate much?

And MichelleF is right, there are literally thousands of examples available we can clog this site up with if ya like.

BTW Grammie, it was President Obamas’ preachers’ best friend Farrakhan that said the levees were blown up by whitey on purpose. Jackson just chimed in on the rest of the “whitey won’t help black folks” bandwagon.
Big_F-ing_Deal

I said my piece about the topic. Gave my opinion and all. Not much more to add.

What you do is absolutely f*ckingly compulsively insane.

You’re killing me today. lolol
MichelleF

And MichelleF is right, there are literally thousands of examples available we can clog this site up with if ya like.

Sorry Tim, I’m kind of on a roll today. I just can’t take the media and lefty hypocrisy for another second. I need to take a few deep breaths and a bubble bath!
timzank

MichelleF…I was offering to help you!
MichelleF

I know you were Tim, but I am a little riled up.
kit9

As usual, hack Christopher doesn’t make sense. The story here is that the White House lied through it’s teeth about a critic. Brown never said what Gibbs said he said. Brown is a private citizen and can say what he wants, where he wants. What the WH can’t do is LIE about what he said. Of course Fox put him on-Brown was blamed as the major villain in Katrina-which was complete bullshit, btw-so it’s only to be expected since others-not FOX, fyi, have drawn comparisons to Katrina that people interview him.
kit9

‘No loonier, in fact far less loony than all the Katrina speculation that Bush broke the levees (Jesse Jackson, I think) or that FEMA didn’t respond properly b/c GWB hates black people and wanted them to die’

Excellent point. Excellent.
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

MichelleF … your brave, brave work as the unofficial MediaSPITE ombudswoman does NOT go UNNOTICED or UNAPPRECIATED!!1 You are TRULY making a difference by STANDING UP against these LIB HACKS instead of reading a blog you actually like!!1 Don’t let these ELITISTS who actually get PAID to write a BLOG get away with their BIASED PROPAGANDA!!1 You are BETTER than them, and don’t EVER forget it!!1
Johnny M

TEXICAN says:
May 4, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Hey, Johnny, does it not concern you that Fox News deliberately distorts real news strories to associate negativity with anything left of their agenda? That isn’t real news, sir.

…No, not really. I am smart enough to know what to consider news and what to consider news-opinion. I watch cable news liberal shows and conservative shows evenly, and I am not brain-washed by the all Fox News is evil is crowd.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Anthony/781784933 Ryan Anthony

shame how Tommy is too much of a wimp to respond to legitimate concerns from the comments
ImNotBlue

Big_F-ing_Deal says:
May 4, 2010 at 6:54 pm

Anytime this guy (or Karl, or King, etc.) says they’re “laughing,” make sure to interpret it correctly: it means they’re very angry that “their” story isn’t the only one out there. In other words, they’ve got nothing to say to refute or argue, so they’ll go with name calling and “laughing” to cover their confusion.

So folks, a little sympathy. They’re trying hard… this is just the best they can do.
http://www.thecobraslair.com Cobra

Read this first from Wikipedia:

“New Orleans is located in southeastern Louisiana, straddling the Mississippi River. The boundaries of the city and Orleans Parish are coterminous. The city and parish are bounded by the parishes of St. Tammany to the north, St. Bernard to the east, Plaquemines to the south) and Jefferson to the south and west. Lake Pontchartrain, part of which is included in the city limits, lies to the north and Lake Borgne lies to the east.”

Now read this from the Bush Administration:

“Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Louisiana

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing.

The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.

Representing FEMA, Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Department of Homeland Security, named William Lokey as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.”

http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html

Read them both again…closely.

When you pick your jaw back up from the ground, let’s continue this discussion about how ANYBODY from the Bush Administration can DARE show their faces in public to criticize disaster relief and preparedness efforts.

–Cobra
StewartIII

NewsBusters: Gibbs Scolds FOX for Airing Brownie’s Oil Spill Conspiracy Theory, Will He Bash MSNBC?
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2010/05/04/gibbs-scolds-fox-airing-brownies-oil-spill-conspiracy-theory-will-he-
—
AP| SPIN METER: There since Day One? Maybe not
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100504/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_gulf_oil_spill_spin
Sunnyr

Sorry, Herr Gibbs, but Michael Brown makes a lot more sense than YOU do. Shut your ignorant mouth and stop slamming Fox News every chance you get, you silly little twit.
TfT

What is funny(?) is how mediaite never seems to have a problem as long as the White House is going after Fox News. This is the President’s spokesman…speaking on behalf of the President, criticizing a private citizen for making a comment on air and mediaite has a problem with the commenter not with the White House? Please….

Where is your concern that the White House is yet again going after a private citizen. I guess as long as the WH is telling conservative/republican commentators/citizens to shut up it’s ok?. Perhaps when/if (NOT) the Obama WH tells someone on the left to shut up and sit down Tommy will wake up and smell the coffee — but then again, perhaps not.
scamp844

Cobra, I was a little confused by your post. Do you believe that the damage done by Katrina was isolated to the New Orleans area? President Bush authorized assistance for all of Louisiana that was affected, as well as for other Gulf states. Pray tell, what is your problem with assisting with all the damage caused by Katrina?
http://www.cargiant.co.uk/cars/usedcars.asp nairatyler

Is the Obama administration ever going to get over blaming the Bush administration for everything? It really is getting old. No one is listening to that excuse any more. What happens, or not, is not President Bush’s doing now. Good or bad Obama is the man in charge. He alone is responsible.used car
ChrisNH

The take-away is that Little Boy Gibbs is irritated by Fox; they’ve gotten under his skin. Nothing Little Boy Gibbs tries seems to work. For all the Leftist conspiracy theories that surrounded Bush, it’s about time this Regime was put on defense. I’m very pleased to see an irritated Gibbs and an agitated Obama. Very pleased.
MichelleF

It’s like Rupert just said, the Fox hate is great for their ratings! Keep it up Gibbs. Bring back the war with Fox. It worked so good for you the first time around!
http://www.thecobraslair.com Cobra

scamp844 writes:

“President Bush authorized assistance for all of Louisiana that was affected, as well as for other Gulf states.”

Read the official White House Statement again. It lists every parish in Louisiana EXCEPT the seven that make up the greater New Orleans. You can’t truthfully make that statement.

–Cobra
Integr8d

So much douche…

Must… have… kooooolllaaaaiii…

FREE SHIPPING
MichelleF

Cobra says:
May 5, 2010 at 11:49 am
scamp844 writes:

“President Bush authorized assistance for all of Louisiana that was affected, as well as for other Gulf states.”

Read the official White House Statement again. It lists every parish in Louisiana EXCEPT the seven that make up the greater New Orleans. You can’t truthfully make that statement.

–Cobra

Let me guess, Cobra, we are back to Bush hates black people? I see your rage is still burning. Let is go man!
MichelleF

I’m sure Mediaite will do a follow-up story since cavuto responded today.
http://www.thecobraslair.com Cobra

MichelleF writes:

“Let me guess, Cobra, we are back to Bush hates black people?”

You’re confusing me with Kanye West. Can you explain the White House Federal Emergency statement for ALL Louisiana Parishes EXCEPT those that make up the city of New Orleans?

Please…I want to hear your theory. I certainly have some of my own.

–Cobra
http://none pyrope

No marshmellows from Fox. Gibbs is addicted to them and when he doesn’t get his fix, he gets his panties in a wad.