For his many years of admirable, fair journalism (which we’ve documented at NewsBusters), CNN’s The Lead and State of the Union host Jake Tapper has taken a turn in the last few years from a fair, laudable newsman calling out all sides to an anti-Trump activist armed with emotion-filled, sophomoric commentaries and snarky chyrons.
Such was the case on Tuesday’s The Lead when he condescendingly accused Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) of being not only dishonest for showing a video at the House Judiciary Committee hearing of journalists talking about “peaceful protests,” but a dishonorable man harming the country.
After two segments on the hearing, Tapper told viewers he had “one note from us about the hearing” and specifically when Jordan “played a video featuring many upsetting images of mayhem and violence from protests and riots across the country and that was included along with a mash-up of members of the media and others using the term ‘peaceful protests.’”
For the purposes of his commentary, Tapper cordoned off a portion of the nearly-eight-minute-long video that featured CNNers Josh Campbell, Laura Coates, Dianne Gallagher, and Don Lemon referring to what’s happened in American streets this summer as “peaceful protests,” but according to Tapper, Jordan had a sinister motive.
“The motive was clearly to show members of the media, including many of my CNN colleagues, calling violent protests peaceful. But Congressman Jordan neglected to give the full context of these comments. So, my team and I did it for him,” Tapper explained.
Tapper then gave the full comments from Campbell in Portland and Gallagher in Atlanta. In both cases, they emphasized that the scene had been peaceful prior to the violence (click “expand”):
TAPPER: Here, for example, is the full sentence of what CNN reporter Josh Campbell said.
CAMPBELL [on 07/18/20]: This has been the epicenter where there have been largely peaceful protests during the day, at night sometimes turning violent with these confrontations between protesters and police.
TAPPER: Here are the fuller context of the remarks of our correspondent Diane Gallagher.
GALLAGHER [on 06/14/20]: This is something that we have been seeing here on the streets of Atlanta, mostly peaceful protests since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. And when it was one of their own, that anger, that frustration, that pain simply exploded. And we saw the results of that overnight and into this morning in those protests. Again, for the most part, throughout the entire day on Saturday, the protests after Rayshard Brooks’s death were peaceful. And as it began to get dark, things began to change.
Oh, so while they certainly didn’t ignore the violence, they downplayed it, seeming to paint a picture that the rioters were few and far between.
Tapper didn’t see it that way. Instead, he lashed out, rhetorically asking viewers if he saw what “Jordan and his team did there” in refusing to “accurately” portray Campbell and Gallagher.
This made for a conclusion that left Tapper on the border of becoming emotional, accusing Jordan of lacking decency, honor, or concern for American people:
They weren't calling violent protests peaceful. Congressman Jordan, you did a disservice to them and more importantly, you did a disservice to the American people and you did a disservice to the truth. Congressman Jordan, you owe them and anyone else whose comments you completely misrepresented today on Capitol Hill, you owe them an apology. Any person of honor, any person who cares about the truth, would do that. I guess we'll see what you're going to do.
If Tapper’s concerned about misinformation on protesters vs. rioters, perhaps start within his own house (h/t: the indefatigable Drew Holden).
Undoubtedly, Tapper’s increased time in Zuckerville has made him indistinguishable from his fellow CNN hosts and personalities like Chris Cuomo, Don Lemon, or Brian Stelter. Let’s take a trip through the last two years, shall we?
On February 21, 2018, Tapper debased himself and his career when he oversaw the now-infamous town hall against Dana Loesch and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) following the Parkland school shooting. Apparently, Jake was very proud of how that event went.
Tapper also did next to nothing on October 29, 2018 when liberal reporter Julia Ioffe claimed Trump “has radicalized so many more people than ISIS ever did.” Hours later, he allowed a guest to question the Jewish faith of those who support the President. No problem there either.
In the interest of thoroughness, here are some other examples (click “expand”):
- November 7, 2018: Tapper hailed Jim Acosta’s combative exchange with Trump like a conquering hero, insisting he wouldn’t have been doing his job if he wasn’t “aggressive” and “pissing” Trump “off”
- February 13, 2019: Insinuated House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was just as anti-Semitic as Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN)
- March 31, 2019: Told then-acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney that he didn’t “know anybody who got anything wrong” concerning the Trump-Russia probe
- April 28, 2019: Told White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway on State of the Union that criticizing the media was “beneath you”
- July 18, 2019: Equated Trump to Huey Long and George Wallace
- August 4, 2019: Worked with Democratic guests to blame Trump directly for mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas
- October 27, 2019: Falsely claimed Trump never thanked the CIA for their role in the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
- December 6, 2019: Did nothing as Pelosi dismissed James Rosen as not a real journalist
- January 27, 2020: Trashed Trump impeachment trial lawyers Mike Purpura as “making an argument on a different planet” and Ken Starr as responsible for “the era of impeachment”
- March 22, 2020: Refused to correct Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) lying about Trump calling the virus “a hoax”
- March 25, 2020: Claimed Trump has “downplayed” and “lied” his way through the pandemic despite CNN’s refusal to cover the virus in its early moments
- April 5, 2020: Again suggested Trump has done next to nothing
- May 3, 2020: Teamed with Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) to attack Michigan reopening protesters as akin to the Charlottesville neo-Nazis, armed with Confederate flags and nooses
Like we have in years past since the inception of this site in 2005, NewsBusters will continue to call out or praise Tapper in the years to come as we see fit, regardless of any and all gripes he may wage for daring to even disagree with him.
Tuesday’s The Lead featured only one commercial break and thus contained the following sponsors: Amazon, Bausch & Lomb, Care.com, Car Gurus, DexacomNow.com, Essilor, Fresh Pet, Leaf Filter, Waterpik. Head over to the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page to learn more.
To see the relevant CNN transcript from July 28, click “expand.”
CNN’s The Lead
July 28, 2020
4:50 p.m. EasternJAKE TAPPER: One note from us about the hearing today. At the beginning of the Attorney General Barr hearing at the House Judiciary Committee, the ranking member of the committee, Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, played a video featuring many upsetting images of mayhem and violence from protests and riots across the country and that was included along with a mash-up of members of the media and others using the term “peaceful protests.”
DIANNE GALLAGHER [on 06/14/20]: Peaceful protests.
DON LEMON [date N/A]: Peaceful protests.
JOSH CAMPBELL [on 07/18/20]: Peaceful protests.
LAURA COATES [on 06/30/20]: Peaceful protests.
TAPPER: The motive was clearly to show members of the media, including many of my CNN colleagues, calling violent protests peaceful. But Congressman Jordan neglected to give the full context of these comments. So, my team and I did it for him. Here, for example, is the full sentence of what CNN reporter Josh Campbell said.
CAMPBELL [on 07/18/20]: This has been the epicenter where there have been largely peaceful protests during the day, at night sometimes turning violent with these confrontations between protesters and police.
TAPPER: Here are the fuller context of the remarks of our correspondent Diane Gallagher.
GALLAGHER [on 06/14/20]: This is something that we have been seeing here on the streets of Atlanta, mostly peaceful protests since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. And when it was one of their own, that anger, that frustration, that pain simply exploded. And we saw the results of that overnight and into this morning in those protests. Again, for the most part, throughout the entire day on Saturday, the protests after Rayshard Brooks’s death were peaceful. And as it began to get dark, things began to change.
TAPPER: So, do you understand what — what Congressman Jordan and his team did there? Our reporters, Diane Gallagher and Josh Campbell, as you saw, accurately described the protests as peaceful and then often exploding into something else, including violence at night, but Congressman Jordan, you just quoted the part of what they said that said peaceful protests when that wasn't the full context. That's not what they said. They weren't calling violent protests peaceful. Congressman Jordan, you did a disservice to them and more importantly, you did a disservice to the American people and you did a disservice to the truth. Congressman Jordan, you owe them and anyone else whose comments you completely misrepresented today on Capitol Hill, you owe them an apology. Any person of honor, any person who cares about the truth, would do that. I guess we'll see what you're going to do.
