All three networks on Thursday night and Friday morning ignored bombshell new e-mails that indicate the White House, the National School Board Association (NSBA) and the Justice Department may have been coordinating in the now infamous e-mail smearing upset parents as the equivalent of domestic terrorists.
Despite six hours of available air time on Friday, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS Mornings and NBC’s Today all avoided the development. On America’s Newsroom, however, Griff Jenkins explained: “We've been led to believe there is no coordination between the NSBA and the White House and the Attorney General Garland acted independently. Turns out, both may be false.”
He explained, “In newly released conversations, a timeline is showing NSBA members in the White House meeting for weeks in September before sending that letter to the President comparing parents to domestic terrorists and it was before the DOJ took action in early October.”
Fox on Friday also played a clip of Attorney general Merrick Garland testifying in October:
The letter that we — that was subsequently sent does not change the association's concern about violence or threats of violence. It alters some language in the letter, language in the letter that we did not rely on and is not contained in my own memorandum.
Jenkins added:
Those words are now contradicted as NSBA President painted a different account, writing “In response to letter sent by NSBA on October 4, 2020, the attorney general announced in memorandum shared throughout the U.S. Department of Justice he was ordering all attorney offices and FBI offices to reach out to local and state law enforcement to coordinate efforts on this problem within 30 days of the memorandum. And questions are being raised over whether the White House has been fully forthcoming when asked about it in October.
In October, the networks hyped the insane demand to compare parents to terrorists. On the October 1 Today, Savannah Guthrie parroted the NSBA: “School boards across the country calling on the White House to send federal agents to protect them from angry parents, saying their protests should be treated as domestic terrorism.”
On the September 30, CBS Evening News, anchor Norah O’Donnell hyped, “Threats to school boards. Tonight the stunning request asking for help from the FBI to crack down on unruly behavior from parents because of COVID rules.”
When the NSBA belatedly apologized on October 22, the networks buried the backtracking.
The silence on CBS This Morning was sponsored by Progressive Insurance. On NBC’s Today it was Hyundai and on ABC’s Good Morning America, it was Ensure. Click on the links to let them know what you think.
A transcript of the Fox segment is below. Click “expand” to read more.
America’s Newsroom
11/12/2021
9:35 AM ETBILL HEMMER: Newly released e-mails showing the National School Board Association coordinated with the White House and DOJ before it sent a letter from the President likening the action of some angry parents to domestic terrorism. Now questions about the AG Merrick Garland’s testimony under oath about a month ago. Griff Jenkins tying that together in D.C. What’s the story, Griff? Good morning.
GRIFF JENKINS: Good morning, Bill. It is quite eye opening. Because we've been led to believe there is no coordination between the NSBA and the White House and the Attorney General Garland acted independently. Turns out, both may be false. In newly released conversations, a timeline is showing NSBA members in the White House meeting for weeks in September before sending that letter to the President comparing parents to domestic terrorists and it was before the DOJ took action in early October. The NSBA president confirms in mid-October memo saying NSBA has been actively engaged with the White House, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education, Surgeon General and other federal agencies on pandemic-related issues. But when Garland was pressed under oath in late October about coordination with the NSBA, he denied being influenced. Watch.
ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND: The letter that we — that was subsequently sent does not change the association's concern about violence or threats of violence. It alters some language in the letter, language in the letter that we did not rely on and is not contained in my own memorandum.
JENKINS: Those words are now contradicted as NSBA President painted a different account, writing “In response to letter sent by NSBA on October 4, 2020, the attorney general announced in memorandum shared throughout the U.S. Department of Justice he was ordering all attorney offices and FBI offices to reach out to local and state law enforcement to coordinate efforts on this problem within 30 days of the memorandum. And questions are being raised over whether the White House has been fully forthcoming when asked about it in October. Jen Psaki said she doesn't speak on behalf of the NSBA, adding school board is not part of the U.S. government, but in Jen Psaki's press conference today, returning from Covid, see if she takes questions on it. Bill?
