One America News Network Says ‘No Evidence’ of Syrian Chemical Attack After Getting Regime-Led Tour
OAN Investigation Finds No Evidence of Chemical Weapon Attack in Syria: https://t.co/gR3jkPQWRh via @YouTube
— One America News (@OANN) April 16, 2018
One America News Network, an upstart conservative cable news network with a penchant for rampant conspiracy disguised as genuine news (Jack Posobiec, of Pizzagate fame, is a correspondent) dispatched a reporter to Syria this week.
OANN’s Pearson Sharp was taken on a tour of Douma, the suburb where Bashar al-Assad’s regime allegedly launched a chemical weapons attack that left dozens dead and hundreds injured.
The U.S. concluded Assad’s regime was behind the attack, and that chemical weapons were used — and President Donald Trump used the attack as a justification for last week’s airstrike in Syria.
But Sharp was in Syria to investigate: taken on a tour of Douma by Syrian officials, the reporter spoke with a number of Syrians who reassured him that Assad — who they love — was definitely not behind the attack,.
“We want to announce that One America News has an exclusive discovery,” Sharp announced. “We were brought in with a government escort.”
He explained: “We were brought to one of the neighborhoods close to where the attack happened. I spoke with a number of residents there, probably about 10 residents in that neighborhood…not one of the people that I spoke to in that neighborhood said that they had seen anything or heard anything about a chemical attack on that day.”
Sharp went on to explain how his escorts showed him the “rebel headquarters” of Jaish al-Islam, the group that previously held control of Douma, with “entire rooms filled with mortars.”
“It’s very shocking to see how much weaponry the terrorists had piled up in that area.”
Sharp went on to note that he spoke a 30-40 “random people” in another town and “consistently, not one person in the entire town that we talked to said that they had seen or heard anything about a chemical attack.”
He continued that “all” the residents said that the attack was “staged” by the rebels.
“They loved Bashar al-Assad,” Sharp added. “They thought he was great.”
A number of commentators reacted to OANN’s absurd segment on Twitter:
OANN goes full Bashar bro.
Moron “reporter” who admitted he can’t speak Arabic concludes Assad regime didn’t conduct chem weapons strike.
Syrians “love Bashar Assad…completely in support of Assad.”This is part of disinfo campaign Gen Mattis warned of.https://t.co/huWV3l1RMa
— Jordan Schachtel (@JordanSchachtel) April 16, 2018
Syria is blocking the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons from investigating Douma site (https://t.co/313eHDiklM), but it let in @OANN? Somebody is getting played… https://t.co/vFZBo4Ome9
— Brad Thor (@BradThor) April 16, 2018
Amazing how some of the president’s core supporters in the alternative conservative press are accusing the Trump administration of misleading the public into war. https://t.co/RYxqyJeKSe
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) April 16, 2018
Note: The argument here isn’t that various governments are wrong about which party conducted the chemical weapons attack. It’s that no such attack occurred AT ALL.
This is bonkers, though pretty typical for the outlet. https://t.co/OjWuCN2w5Rhttps://t.co/QUYswnNdGW https://t.co/SNk9fNvY3N
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) April 16, 2018
LOL!!! The UN can’t get to the site to make a determination because they are being blocked by Assad and Russia, but @OANN has done an extensive investigation.
RT has competition. https://t.co/Ls8EbuHfXC
— The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) April 16, 2018
[image via screengrab]
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