FALSE: Nets Tout Biden Hiring ‘First, All-Female’ WH Comms Team (Trump Already Does)

November 30th, 2020 4:40 PM

Between late Sunday and Monday morning, the liberal media showcased their latest double standard between Democratic and Republican administrations and a failure to grasp reality. This time, outlets hailed President-Elect Joe Biden’s hiring of the “first” all-female White House communications team that’s “breaking barriers” despite the fact that the Trump administration’s top communications officials are all women.

Currently, women hold the positions of White House communications director (Alyssa Farah), deputy White House communications director (Roma Daravi), deputy White House press secretary (Sarah Matthews), press secretary for the First Lady (Stephanie Grisham), press secretary for the Second Lady (Kara Brooks), vice presidential communications director (Katie Miller), and White House press secretary (Kayleigh McEnany).

 

 

But Orange Man Bad, so it didn’t happen in the eyes of the liberal media charlatans.

Nonetheless, ABC, CBS, and NBC couldn’t be bothered to denote that on Monday morning’s newscasts, instead fixating on the team that included another case of the revolving door with Jen Psaki leaving CNN for the White House.

ABC’s Good Morning America co-host and former Clinton flack George Stephanopoulos bragged to senior White House correspondent Cecilia Vega that Biden was “breaking a new barrier by announcing an all female White House communication team.” 

For her part, Vega concurred by gushing over Biden “trying to make good on his campaign promise to diversify the White House with that first, all female communication team.”

CBS correspondent Nikole Killion was similarly enthused, leaving CBS This Morning co-host and Obama/Biden donor Gayle King to remind us of why the ethically-challenged hack has no business being seen as a real journalist (click “expand”):

KILLION: Mr. Biden also announced his new White House communications team. It is a diverse, all-female group, including several mothers of young kids, according to newly named Press Secretary Jen Psaki who’s an Obama alum. Kate Bedingfield tapped for White House communications following a similar role in the campaign. This week, the President-Elect is rolling out his economic team, two sources familiar with the process confirm he is expected to nominate Janet Yellen for Treasury secretary, the first woman in history to lead the department. CBS News has also learned he's expected to nominate Cecilia Rouse to chair the Council of Economic Advisers and Neera Tanden, White House budget director, both would be first women of color to serve in those roles if confirmed. Gayle? 

KING: That’s an amazing picture when you look at it all together.

On NBC’s Today, correspondent Geoff Bennett continued to build a resume of sycophancy for his friends on Team Biden, proclaiming Biden made “history-making hires” as “[f]or the first time, all of the senior staffers tasked with shaping White House messaging with be women.” 

In the 8:00 a.m. Eastern hour, co-host Savannah Guthrie reiterated this news during a brief:

Earlier over the weekend, Biden announced that he has selected his communication team for his administration, all female and it’ll be headed by Kate Bedingfield, who was communications director for his campaign. Biden is also set to formally reveal his economic team tomorrow.

These three networks weren’t alone as flacks from the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the taxpayer-funded NPR and PBS also willfully shared this lie far and wide.

Not everyone willfully ignored this falsehood, but instead of correcting the record or offering fact-checks, many of these same actors chose to explain why this narrative wasn’t a lie and instead fully accurate.

Here was the spin from America’s hall monitor, CNN’s Reliable Sources host, and Zuckerville resident Brian Stelter (click “expand”):

WaPo's Annie Linskey broke the news on Sunday afternoon: "Biden hires all-female senior communications team." Jen Psaki will be press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre will be the principal deputy press secretary, Kate Bedingfield will be WH director, Pili Tobar will be her deputy, Symone Sanders will be the chief spokesperson for Kamala Harris, and Ashley Etienne will be comms director for Harris. Elizabeth Alexander will be first lady Jill Biden's comms director.

Linskey wrote, "It is the first time all of the top aides tasked with speaking on behalf of an administration and shaping its message will be female." This triggered a round of media bias complaints from the Trump WH and its allies, who asserted that the current WH comms team is "entirely female-led." WH deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews wrote, "Apparently the achievements of GOP women don't count in the eyes of the media." They should count, and they do, but the clear difference here is that Biden is jump-starting his WH with an all-female team and making a statement about diversity – that's why the appointments garnered headlines on Sunday. Furthermore, as Maggie Haberman noted, some of Trump's top comms aides are men...

Ah, so Biden “is jump-starting his WH with an all-female team and making a statement about diversity?”

Unfortunately, Stelter’s incapable of feeling shame, so he won’t cop to this narrative being a case of jiggery pokery.

Monday’s lies were made possible by advertisers such as Cadillac (on NBC), Facebook (on CBS), and Walgreens (on ABC). Follow the links to the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.

To see the relevant transcripts from November 30, click “expand.”

ABC’s Good Morning America
November 30, 2020
7:09 a.m. Eastern

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: New This Morning; Biden Transition in Full Swing; President-Elect Names All-female Communications Staff]

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re going to get the latest now on the presidential transition with Joe Biden breaking a new barrier by announcing an all female White House communication team[.]

(....)

7:09 a.m. Eastern

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: New This Morning; Biden Transition in Full Swing; President-Elect Names All-female Communications Staff]

CECILIA VEGA: But as you said, Joe Biden this morning is moving on with his transition, including trying to make good on his campaign promise to diversify the White House with that first, all female communication team. After weeks of delay, today President-Elect Biden will receive his first top level intelligence briefing and he's already pushing ahead on his campaign promise to diversify the White House with a first all female communication team and reportedly naming people like Neera Tanden to lead the influential Office of Management and Budget, making her the first woman of color to run the agency.

(....)

7:30 a.m. Eastern

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Right Now; Biden Transition]

STEPHANOPOULOS: And also right now, President-Elect Biden is breaking barriers with more announcements by key members for his new administration [sic]

CBS This Morning
November 30, 2020
7:01 a.m. Eastern [TEASE]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE JOURNALIST: President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris have announced an all female communications team. 

(....)

7:15 a.m. Eastern

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Biden Expands Team; President-Elect Chooses Women for Top Communications, Economic Jobs]

NIKOLE KILLION: Mr. Biden also announced his new White House communications team. It is a diverse, all-female group, including several mothers of young kids, according to newly named Press Secretary Jen Psaki who’s an Obama alum. Kate Bedingfield tapped for White House communications following a similar role in the campaign. This week, the President-Elect is rolling out his economic team, two sources familiar with the process confirm he is expected to nominate Janet Yellen for Treasury secretary, the first woman in history to lead the department. CBS News has also learned he's expected to nominate Cecilia Rouse to chair the Council of Economic Advisers and Neera Tanden, White House budget director, both would be first women of color to serve in those roles if confirmed. Gayle? 

GAYLE KING: That’s an amazing picture when you look at it all together.

NBC’s Today
November 30, 2020
7:10 a.m. Eastern

GEOFF BENNETT: President-Elect Joe Biden is set to name another round of key White House and Cabinet officials. He's unveiled an all-female senior communications team and tomorrow is set to introduce the officials who will lead his economic team. But today he's dealing with the more pressing issue: that fractured foot he suffered while playing with one of his German Shepherds. This morning Joe Biden is on the mend, spending Sunday night at the doctor’s office after twisting his ankle while playing with his job major, according to his transition team. Biden’s doctor, saying the President-Elect, following a CT scan, sustained “hairline fractures” in his right foot and “will likely require a walking boot for several weeks.” President Donald Trump tweeting “get well soon.” That’s as the President-Elect staffs up his communications team with history-making hires. 

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Biden Names All-Female Communications Team; President-Elect Set to Name More Cabinet Officials This Week]

For the first time, all of the senior staffers tasked with shaping White House messaging with be women. The President-Elect also set to formally unveil his economic team tomorrow. The group of advisers set to serve alongside expected Treasury nominee Janet Yellen.

(....)

8:04 a.m. Eastern

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Earlier over the weekend, Biden announced that he has selected his communication team for his administration, all female and it’ll be headed by Kate Bedingfield, who was communications director for his campaign. Biden is also set to formally reveal his economic team tomorrow.