Category: Media

Congress, Courts, Criminal law, Media, Politics

Laptop Deniers in Delaware: The Media Shrugs as the Biden Laptop is Authenticated in Federal Court

Below is my column in Fox.com on the authentication of Hunter Biden’s laptop in the Delaware trial. The government has denounced the Russian disinformation claims as a “conspiracy theory” and put on evidence that there is no evidence of tampering with the laptop. The FBI declared the laptop to be “real” and “authentic” and the court agreed. It was introduced as evidence before many reporters who previously embraced the debunked “conspiracy theory.” As discussed below, Houdini’s elephant was just revealed on stage and most of the audience looked away.

Here is the column: Continue reading “Laptop Deniers in Delaware: The Media Shrugs as the Biden Laptop is Authenticated in Federal Court” →

Congress, Media, Politics

Report: J6 Committee Delayed Secret Service Driver From Refuting False Limo Story

Just the News is reporting that the January 6th Committee rebuffed repeated efforts from a Secret Service agent to refute the false story related by Cassidy Hutchinson alleging a violent episode with Trump in the presidential limousine during the Capitol riots. The J6 Committee staff repeatedly delayed the testimony of the agent to disprove the widely reported allegation. Continue reading “Report: J6 Committee Delayed Secret Service Driver From Refuting False Limo Story” →

Media, Politics

“A Blatant Lie”: The Biden Campaign Falsely Accuses Fox’s John Roberts of Lying About the Insulin Caps

Winston Churchill once said that “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” It often seems like the Biden White House and campaign has embraced that warning as an operating principle. The most recent target was the veteran Fox news anchor John Roberts, who was accused of airing “a blatant lie” in questioning Biden’s claim that he was the first president to push through a cap of $35 on insulin treatments. Roberts was entirely correct, but the campaign has still not removed the false attack on his integrity and accuracy. Continue reading ““A Blatant Lie”: The Biden Campaign Falsely Accuses Fox’s John Roberts of Lying About the Insulin Caps” →

Media, Politics

“Let’s Not Sugarcoat it … People are Not Reading Your Stuff:” Publisher Drops Truth Bomb at Post

Washington Post publisher and CEO William Lewis is being denounced this week after the end of the short-lived tenure of Executive Editor Sally Buzbee and delivering a truth bomb to the staff. Lewis told them that they have lost their audience and “people are not reading your stuff.” It was a shot of reality in the echo chambered news outlet and the response was predictable. However, Lewis just might save this venerable newspaper if he follows his frank talk with meaningful reforms to bring balance back to the Post. Continue reading ““Let’s Not Sugarcoat it … People are Not Reading Your Stuff:” Publisher Drops Truth Bomb at Post” →

Bizarre, Media, Politics

Robert De Niro Goes Full Travis Bickle: The Biden Campaign’s Court Presser Turns into a Sad Spectacle
Fox News screenshot

In the movie A Bronx Tale, the character played by Robert De Niro tells his son that “the saddest thing in life is wasted talent.”  Yesterday, the actor appears to have forgotten his own cinematic advice in a bizarre press conference organized by the Biden campaign in front of the Manhattan courthouse during the trial of former President Donald Trump. In a raving, disconnected press conference, De Niro predicted the end of democracy and then the world if Trump is not stopped in New York. Continue reading “Robert De Niro Goes Full Travis Bickle: The Biden Campaign’s Court Presser Turns into a Sad Spectacle” →

Criminal law, Media, Politics

“The Laptop is Real”: Justice Department Denounces Claims of Russian Disinformation as a Biden “Conspiracy Theory”

“The defendant’s laptop is real.” With those words and pictures like this one of Biden using crack, the Justice Department introduced the Hunter Biden laptop as evidence in his upcoming trial over federal gun violations.  The federal prosecutors went on to denounce suggestions of Russian disinformation, long peddled by the Bidens, the media and former intelligence officials, as nothing more than a “conspiracy theory.” Continue reading ““The Laptop is Real”: Justice Department Denounces Claims of Russian Disinformation as a Biden “Conspiracy Theory”” →

Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, Media, Politics

Special Counsel Jack Smith Demands a New Gag on Trump

The government often waits until Friday night when it wants to file something controversial in seeking to reduce media coverage and public attention. Special Counsel Jack Smith followed this practice this week in quietly filing a motion to gag former president Donald Trump in his Florida case. Smith took the action after Trump suggested that the warrant used on his Palm Beach home included a provision allowing the use of lethal force. While the provision is standard in such warrants, Trump has portrayed the inclusion of the boilerplate language as a threat to his life and the lives of his family. Nevertheless, I believe that the gag order, like Smith’s past demands, is over-broad and a violation of the free speech rights of the former president. Continue reading “Special Counsel Jack Smith Demands a New Gag on Trump” →

Academia, Free Speech, Media

Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa Calls on Harvard Graduate to Support Censorship in the Name of Democracy

The Harvard commencement ceremony this week received some press attention after Harvard’s Chabad Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi confronted Maria A. Ressa, a journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, on stage over her prior allegedly antisemitic comments.  However, her commencement remarks were equally chilling in another respect; a full-throated condemnation of free speech principles and a call for a crackdown on disinformation. As is often the case with anti-free speech tirades, the speech included disinformation while seeking to silence others to combat disinformation. Continue reading “Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa Calls on Harvard Graduate to Support Censorship in the Name of Democracy” →

Columns, Criminal law, Media, Politics

The Lawrence O’Donnell Factor: Will the Trump Jury Exercise Blind Justice or Willful Blindness?

Below is my column on Fox.com on the closure of the government and defense cases in the Trump trial. It is clear that the government is going to achieve its objective in avoiding a direct verdict and giving this matter to the jury, which it hopes that the paucity of direct evidence of a crime will be overcome with an abundance of hostility to Donald Trump. As I previously have written, I am still hopeful that these jurors will vindicate the New York legal system with at least a hung jury. In the end, we will see if a Manhattan jury will exercise blind justice or willful blindness.

Here is the column: Continue reading “The Lawrence O’Donnell Factor: Will the Trump Jury Exercise Blind Justice or Willful Blindness?” →

Bizarre, Media

Last Dog in the Fight: Lawrence O’Donnell Mocked Over Pathetic Defense of Michael Cohen

After his disastrous testimony in Manhattan, Michael Cohen lost even hosts and legal analysts at MSNBC and CNN. MSNBC legal correspondent Lisa Rubin described Cohen as a “fabricator, liar or forgetful person.” CNN’s Anderson Cooper discussed how the testimony was “devastating for Michael Cohen’s credibility.” CNN’s legal analyst Elie Honig said that Cohen had his “knees chopped out” by the defense. All of that was before Cohen admitted that he committed grand larceny in stealing tens of thousands from the Trump company. Most analysts honestly expressed disgust at the admission and expressed shock that he was not prosecuted. The question is whether anyone could find a way to excuse grand larceny to spare viewers in the echo chamber. That is when host Lawrence O’Donnell stepped forward. Continue reading “Last Dog in the Fight: Lawrence O’Donnell Mocked Over Pathetic Defense of Michael Cohen” →

Academia, Media, Politics

The New York Times Denounces Cancel Culture . . . After Fueling Cancel Culture for Years

For those of us who have criticized the cancel culture in higher education for years, the attacks and shunning have been unrelenting. The media has played a role in that culture and none more prominently than the New York Times. Recently, however, the mob came for liberal professors and media who have remained silent for years as conservatives and others were targeted on campus. Suddenly, there is a new interest in free speech and academic freedom, including by the Times editors who blamed cancel culture for the recent demonstrations and disruptions on campus. Continue reading “The New York Times Denounces Cancel Culture . . . After Fueling Cancel Culture for Years” →

Media, Politics

Poll: Majority of Americans Distrust in the Media

A poll from  the American Press Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center has found that a majority of Americans are extremely worried or very concerned about bias in the media and the reporting of false or misleading information. Only 48% of Republicans and 34% of independents still receive their news from national news outlets and expressed the greatest trust of the media. Continue reading “Poll: Majority of Americans Distrust in the Media” →

Media, Supreme Court

Weissmann: “One Vote Away from … the End of Democracy”

When Robert Mueller appointed Andrew Weissmann as one of his top advisers, many of us warned that it was a poor choice. Weissmann seemed intent to prove those objections correct in increasingly unhinged and partisan statements. This week, he ratcheted up the rhetoric even further in claiming that the nation is “one vote away” from the end of democracy if the Supreme Court does not embrace the sweeping claims of Special Counsel Jack Smith. Continue reading “Weissmann: “One Vote Away from … the End of Democracy”” →

Media, Politics

MSNBC’s Wallace: “All of the Conspiracy Theorists are Republicans.”

There has been a notable shift toward more and more extreme rhetoric in the media from predicting that democracy will end with this election to “disappearing” journalists and gays to ending all rights for everyone. On Monday, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace added to this litany with a claim that “as with racists, all of the conspiracy theorists are Republicans.” Continue reading “MSNBC’s Wallace: “All of the Conspiracy Theorists are Republicans.”” →

Media

Turley Featured by Washingtonian as One of the Most Influential Persons on Public Policy … Despite Being Vulcan Salute Challenged

Washingtonian Magazine has included me among the most influential persons on public policy … and made public a terrible secret that I wanted to address before it triggers an extraterrestrial  scandal.

Continue reading “Turley Featured by Washingtonian as One of the Most Influential Persons on Public Policy … Despite Being Vulcan Salute Challenged” →