Network News shows Monday evening were rife with anticipation that President Trump would announce a plan to retaliate against Syria for apparently using chemical weapons on civilian populations. While the President himself came out aggressively against the Assad regime by condemning them along with their Russian and Iranian backers, both ABC and NBC pushed a smear by Senator John McCain (R-Ari.) blaming Trump for the attack. Meanwhile, CBS failed to report the President’s condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During his report of President Trump’s promised action against Syria on World News Tonight, ABC White House correspondent Jon Karl used Trump’s desire to pull troops out of the war-torn country against him:
Just last week, the President said he wanted to pull American troops out of Syria soon. (…) But Senator John McCain said the President had, quote, “signaled to the world that the United States would prematurely withdraw from Syria,’ saying Assad was ‘emboldened by American inaction.”
Karl even threw in a clip of himself asking White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders a ridiculous question about it. “Sarah, didn't the President, by saying that he wants to get out of Syria, essentially give a green light to Assad to do this?” he wondered during the press briefing.
On NBC Nightly News, White House correspondent Hallie Jackson also used McCain’s words to bludgeon the administration. “The White House dismissing critics who point to these remarks from the president last week,” she said. “Some like Republican Senator John McCain worry that emboldened Assad. Now, a president reluctant to keep the U.S. military involved perhaps perceives no choice.”
Although they didn’t mention McCain’s smear, CBS Evening News did fail to mention President Trump’s by-name condemnation of President Putin. “Both he and the White House ambassador Nikki Haley at the United Nations condemned the Syrian attack,” announced anchor, Jeff Glor. He played a clip of U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley condemning Russia but only played a clip of Trump condemning the “atrocious attack.”
Glor's silence about Trump's role in causing Syria's gas attack stands in sharp contrast to his predecessor, Scott Pelley. When Assad first gassed his people under a new Trump presidency one year ago, Pelley insinuated Trump was responsible. "The attack came five days after the Trump administration signaled that the Syrian dictator would not be held accountable for the slaughter of his people. The Trump administration said Bashar al-Assad could remain in power, a reversal of Obama-era policy that said Assad had to go," Pelley chided at the time.
ABC and NBC did report Trump’s condemnation of Putin via tweet and in a statement before the press. “For the first time, the President directly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad’s most powerful supporter. ‘President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing animal Assad. Big price to pay,’” Karl reported.
Karl then noted he asked Trump about blaming Putin while in the Cabinet Room:
KARL: Today, we asked the President about that. Does Putin bear responsibility for this?
DONALD TRUMP: He may, yeah, he may. And if he does, it's going to be very tough. Very tough.
KARL: He will pay a price if he’s behind this?
TRUMP: Everybody is going to pay a price. He will, everybody will.
While ABC and NBC were pushing McCain’s attack against the President, they failed to give their viewers the full context of the events. Simply put, they omitted the Obama administration's previous claim that they had weeded out all of Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapon stockpiles. Former Secretary of State John Kerry even did a victory lap via the media.
The relevant portions of the transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC
World News Tonight
April 9, 2018
6:36:00 PM Eastern(…)
JON KARL: Just hours later, the President's first responses on Twitter. For the first time, the President directly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad’s most powerful supporter. "President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing animal Assad. Big price to pay." Today, we asked the president about that. Does Putin bear responsibility for this?
DONALD TRUMP: He may, yeah, he may. And if he does, it's going to be very tough. Very tough.
KARL: He will pay a price if he’s behind this?
TRUMP: Everybody is going to pay a price. He will, everybody will.
(…)
KARL: Just last week, the President said he wanted to pull American troops out of Syria soon.
TRUMP: I want to get out. I want to bring our troops back home.
KARL: But Senator John McCain said the President had, quote, “signaled to the world that the United States would prematurely withdraw from Syria,” saying Assad was "Emboldened by American inaction." Sarah, didn't the President, by saying that he wants to get out of Syria, essentially give a green light to Assad to do this, as John McCain has suggested?
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: Look, we're still there. And I think that it is outrageous to say that the President of the United States green lit something as atrocious as the actions that have taken place over the last several days.
(…)
NBC Nightly News
April 9, 2018
7:06:15 PM Eastern(…)
HALLIE JACKSON: The White House dismissing critics who point to these remarks from the president last week.
DONALD TRUMP: We'll be coming out of Syria like very soon.
JACKSON: Some like Republican Senator John McCain worry that emboldened Assad. Now, a president reluctant to keep the U.S. military involved, perhaps perceives no choice. Hallie Jackson, NBC News, the White House.
(…)
CBS Evening News
April 9, 2018
6:35:16 PM EasternJEFF GLOR: President Trump is holding a dinner meeting this evening with his top military advisers. They are considering a response to the apparent chemical attack against civilians in Syria by the Assad regime. The President said a decision could come by the end of the day. Both he and the White House ambassador Nikki Haley at the United Nations condemned the Syrian attack.
[Cuts to video]
DONALD TRUMP: It was an atrocious attack. It was horrible. You don't see things like that as bad as the news is around the world, you just don't see those images.
NIKKI HALEY: The Russian regime whose hands are all covered in the blood of Syrian children cannot be ashamed by the pictures of its victims.
[Cuts back to live]
GLOR: Alright, now to the attack that led to all of this. Here is Holly Williams.
(…)
