On Friday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany continued the full court press from the Trump administration and campaign to debunk, deny, and dispose of Thursday’s Atlantic hit piece against President Trump from liberal hack editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, calling it “conspiracy-laden propaganda” and “fake news” that abandoned “all journalistic integrity.”
And in a true mic drop moment, McEnany read the roughly four-minute statement and left the podium without taking questions.
McEnany took her turn after a lengthy briefing with former acting DNI Richard Grenell, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, and National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien on a historic agreement signed between Kosovo and Serbia. After brief comments on the jobs report, she turned to The Atlantic.
She began by stating she had to “address what is quite clearly fake news” and “been categorically debunked by eyewitnesses and contemporaneous documents.”
After reading the first paragraph of Goldberg’s story, McEnany placed on the screens behind her “an email from one of the President’s military aides” that explicitly said the reason President Trump didn’t go to a World War I cemetery in France wasn’t because he thought those departed veterans were “losers” and “suckers” (as The Atlantic alleged), but because of bad weather.
McEnany then referred to Goldberg’s sources as “four cowardly anonymous sources who probably do not even exist” in contrast to how, “within hours [of publication], ten sources --- ten --- went on the record debunking these lies, eight with first-hand knowledge stating on the record, one common truth that this story is false” and “never happened.”
She then provided two new accounts denouncing the story (click “expand”)
One is from Derek Lyons, staff secretary and counselor to the President, who says this. "I was with the President the morning after the scheduled visit. He was extremely disappointed that arrangements couldn't be made to get him to the site and the trip was cancelled. I worked for the president his entire administration. One of my responsibilities is working with him on the many letters that he signs to the nations of the fallen heroes. In all my time at the White House,” Derek writes, “I have never heard him utter a disparaging remark of any kind about our troops. In my view, he holds the brave men and women of our armed forces in the highest regards.”
I also bring to you today another quote from a former member of this administration, Dan Walsh, deputy chief of staff, former deputy chief of staff who is also a retired military officer. I got off the phone with Dan just before coming out here. He wanted me to share with you all: “I can attest to the fact that there was a bad weather call in France and that the helicopters were unable to safely make the flight. Overall, the President's support and respect for our American troops past and present is unquestionable.” And Dan recounted to me several events he went on with the President like a World War II veteran who flew with the President on the helicopter in Normandy, visits the President had with our wounded warriors, special ops teams who came to the Oval Office, including the team that got al-Baghdadi and they brought Conan, the dog as well. He met with families at the Army-Navy game. He does this routinely. And at the World Series when he got an opportunity to watch the Nationals, he brought veterans with him[.]
McEnany added that, in her own experiences, she’s “heard him describe his visits to Walter Reed and in detail” and “how meaningful those visits are,” which left him with “angst,” “compassion,” and emotional “hurt” in having met with “these warriors who have been absolutely injured in the line of duty and are courageous heroes.”
Then came the scorching ending before she left the room, leaving White House reporters to kvetch and yell out questions they weren’t going to get answered (even though the President already had a pool availability and would hold a press conference hours later):
So, why would a publication abandon all journalistic integrity and publish this story? It's because the liberal activists at The Atlantic are uninterested in the truth and they are only interested in pedaling conspiracy-laden propaganda. Because here's the one truth. No one and I mean no one loves and cares for our servicemen and women as much as President Donald Trump.
White House reporters were thrown into a tizzy, but considering the liberal media’s near-collective acceptance of Goldberg’s claims as completely facts, they should be able to take a few lumps in the form of pushback. Then again, this is a profession that’s not exactly keen on outside criticism, so who knows.
Since this was a White House Press Briefing, there were no corporate advertisers to link to. But for a list of some of the advertisers on liberal broadcast and cable networks, go here to check out the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcript from September 4’s briefing, click “expand.”
White House Press Briefing
September 4, 2020KAYLEIGH MCENANY: I want to address what is quite clearly fake news. The story in The Atlantic has been categorically debunked by eyewitnesses and contemporaneous documents. The Atlantic claims: “When President Donald Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, he blamed rain for the last-minute decision,” according to The Atlantic, “saying that ‘the helicopter couldn’t fly’ and that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him there. Neither claim was true,” says The Atlantic. That has been debunked. Behind me, you will see an email from one of the President’s military aides that clearly reads: “We are a BAD [weather] call for today’s lift.” The Atlantic reporting is based on four cowardly anonymous sources who probably do not even exist.
Meanwhile, within hours, ten sources --- ten --- went on the record debunking these lies, eight with first-hand knowledge stating on the record one comment truth that this story is false. It never happened. Adding to the aides that were previously counted, I'm bringing you two new ones. One is from Derek Lyons, staff secretary and counsel to the President, who says this. "I was with the President the morning after the scheduled visit. He was extremely disappointed that arrangements couldn't be made to get him to the site and the trip was cancelled. I worked for the president his entire administration. One of my responsibilities is working with him on the many letters that he signs to the nations of the fallen heroes. In all my time at the White House,” Derek writes, “I have never heard him utter a disparaging remark of any kind about our troops. In my view, he holds the brave men and women of our armed forces in the highest regards.”
I also bring to you today another quote from a former member of this administration, Dan Walsh, deputy chief of staff, former deputy chief of staff who is also a retired military officer. I got off the phone with Dan just before coming out here. He wanted me to share with you all: “I can attest to the fact that there was a bad weather call in France and that the helicopters were unable to safely make the flight. Overall, the President's support and respect for our American troops past and present is unquestionable.” And Dan recounted to me several events he went on with the President like a World War II veteran who flew with the President on the helicopter in Normandy, visits the President had with our wounded warriors, special ops teams who came to the Oval Office, including the team that got al-Baghdadi and they brought Conan, the dog as well. He met with families at the Army-Navy game. He does this routinely. And at the World series when he got an opportunity to watch the Nationals, he brought veterans with him and I can tell you what I've seen from this President, I've heard him describe his visits to Walter Reed and in detail. The angst he's had and the compassion he's had and the hurt he's had viewing these warriors who have been absolutely injured in the line of duty and are courageous heroes.
And I've heard him recount how meaningful those visits are. I've also seen him just the day before this article came up talk about there was rain and lightning popping around and he said, “I want to go out there and talk to our World War II veterans, this is America's greatest generation.” And the President holds them in the highest of records. So, why would a publication abandon all journalistic integrity and publish this story? It's because the liberal activists at The Atlantic are uninterested in the truth and they are only interested in pedaling conspiracy-laden propaganda. Because here's the one truth. No one and I mean no one loves and cares for our servicemen and women as much as President Donald Trump. Thank you.
