'Low move': Trump gets scathing rebuke from WSJ editorial board
President Donald Trump got a tongue-lashing from the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board on Wednesday, as they accused him of taking his war on the free press to new heights.
The editorial board, which has repeatedly gone after the president in recent months, makes its criticism just as Paramount, the parent company of CBS, agrees to settle Trump's lawsuit against their "60 Minutes" interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, a $16 million deal which came after months of on-and-off negotiation and protest by the employees of the news organization.
"President Trump has taunted the media for years, and some of his jibes are deserved given the groupthink in most newsrooms. What’s happening now, though, is different: The President is using government to intimidate news outlets that publish stories he doesn’t like," wrote the board. "It’s a low move in a free country with a free press."
In addition to the CBS settlement, the board took aim at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's threats to prosecute CNN for simply reporting on the existence of an app that lets people track Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they conduct raids. Trump also suggested they should be investigated for not backing up his claim that Iran's nuclear facilities were "obliterated" in the attack he signed off on last month.
"Traffic apps such as Waze and Google Maps sometimes warn drivers that other users have flagged police activity or speed traps ahead on public roads. ICEBlock isn’t operated by CNN, which merely ran a story on its existence," wrote the board. As for Trump's other gripe, "The DIA’s early assessment of the Iran strikes was hyped given its analytical limitations and 'low confidence.' But accurately reporting the contents of government documents isn’t illegal; it’s journalism protected by the First Amendment. Whoever gave CNN the DIA’s conclusions might face repercussions, though finding government leakers isn’t easy."
Democrats are already keen to investigate all of this should they win Congress next year, the board noted, with some threatening to look into whether Paramount's settlement amounted to a bribe, since they are currently trying to stave off regulatory action against an upcoming merger.
"If the result is two grim years of partisan trench warfare on whether this technically counts as bribery, thank Mr. Trump," the board concluded. "And for what? Another chance for Mr. Trump to bluster about 'fake news'? The price for the country is another worrying precedent, as the political culture spirals further downward into lawfare."