Saturday, February 22, 2020

Another example of why you shouldn't believe the news

Anyone who regularly listens to Dan Bongino's podcast (or the corresponding YouTube channel) probably already knows about "the Bongino Rule". Whenever you run across "breaking" news that is damaging to President Trump, wait 24-48 hours before repeating it because it is almost always debunked within a day.

This week provided us with yet another example of this. (h/t to RedState.com via the Bongino Report)

Shocker: That ‘Bombshell’ About Trump Offering Julian Assange a Pardon to Cover-Up for Russia Was Total Garbage
Posted at 1:30 pm on February 21, 2020 by Bonchie

Apparently, that “bombshell” report that Donald Trump had nefariously offered Julian Assange a pardon to cover up for Russian hacking of the DNC was absolute garbage. I know, I know, it’s shocking and totally unexpected that our news media could make such a “mistake.”

In case you missed the news, earlier this week, the Daily Beast reported that Trump offered (in 2017) Julian Assange a pardon in exchange for covering up a Russian connection to the DNC e-mail server hack.

Now, anyone following the news should immediately smell BS on this one. Asasange has been denying any Russian connection to Wikileaks' acquisition of these e-mails from day-one. It would be really weird to offer a pardon in exchange for something he has been doing for years. Furthermore, a presidential pardon, even if offered, wouldn't help Assange because he is wanted by other governments - other nations aren't going to drop their prosecutions in response to this hypothetical pardon.

Nevertheless, the media ran with this "bombshell". But, as expected by the Bongino Rule, 24 hours later, new facts surfaced debunking the bombshell. Trump never offered Assange a pardon in exchange for anything. What really happened in 2017 is that ex-Congressman Dana Rohrabacher asked Assange for information about Wikileaks' source and promised to ask Trump to consider a pardon in exchange for this information. Assange didn't divulge any information and Rohrabacher didn't ask Trump for anything.

In other words, absolutely nothing happened. But the initial (false) report sounds really sinister, doesn't it?

So much for news "bombshells".

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