Topic: Newsmax
Newsmax published dozens of articles in the week after it was revealed that classified documents were found at properties frequented by Joe Biden after his term as vice president ended. There was one more article as well, a Jan 10 piece centered around another vice president:
The "double standard" after classified documents were found at the Penn Biden Center, where President Joe Biden kept an office, is "troubling," as he should face the same scrutiny under a special counsel as former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday.
"Equal treatment in the law is at the very center of the expectation of the American people and of our history and our tradition," Pence told talk show host Hugh Hewitt. "What did the Biden administration say — they were going to tap someone appointed in the Trump administration to take a look at it while President Trump faces down a special counsel? ... It's deeply troubling to me."
The FBI's "massive outreach" in August during the raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate was the "original sin," said Pence.
Meanwhile, Newsmax kept up the article onslaught in the second week of the story:
- Sen. Ron Johnson to Newsmax: Biden Docs 'Massive Diversionary Operation?'
- Devin Nunes to Newsmax: 'Plenty of Process in Place' to Examine Biden Docs
- Rep. Miller-Meeks to Newsmax: 'What Prompted Them' to Search for Biden Docs?
- Rep. Meuser to Newsmax: Biden Getting 'Benefit of Doubt' on Docs
- Ex-CIA Baker to Newsmax: Don't Want 'Multitiered' Justice for Mishandling Docs
- Obama's Ethics Chief: Biden's 'Negligence' in Handling of Classified Docs 'Appalling'
- Alina Habba to Newsmax: Transparency Lacking on Biden Documents
- Rep. Comer on Penn Biden Center: Did China Influence Biden Admin?
- Lara Trump to Newsmax: Burying Biden Docs Meddled in Our Elections
- Rep. Buck to Newsmax: 'Unusual' for Biden Lawyers to Handle Docs
- Hunter Biden Blacked Out Near Classified Docs: Report
- Fred Fleitz to Newsmax: 'Ridiculous' to Let Biden's Attorneys Examine Papers
- Alina Habba to Newsmax: Committee Will Find Truth on Penn Biden Center
- Hunter Biden 'Quarantined' at Father's Delaware Home Where Docs Found
- Rep. Davidson to Newsmax: FBI's Stance on Biden Papers 'Flashback' to Hillary
- Fred Fleitz to Newsmax: FBI's Search at Biden's Home 'Kinder and Gentler'
- Biggs to Newsmax: Biden 'Lies All The Time,' Document Reveal No Different
- Rep. Comer to Newsmax: Biden, Family Under Probe for 'Influence Peddling'
- Rep. Donalds to Newsmax: Biden Docs Indicate Espionage Act Violations
- Rep. Kiley to Newsmax: House Will Hold Biden to 'His Own Standard'
- Garland Tries to Deflect Stinging Criticisms of DOJ's Biden Doc Efforts
These 21 articles make for a total of at least 59 articles critical of Biden that Newsmax cranked out in the two weeks since the story broke. It did run one article on the other side of the story, a Jan. 17 wire service piece on the White house's response, as well as a Jan. 22 article noting the executive privilege issues in play in both the Biden and Trump cases -- but there wa also a Jan. 18 article letting Trump spin away his own classified document controversy (which Newsmax naturally defended) by claiming that some of the folders seized were empty and kept only as keepsakes.
Newsmax also published a Jan. 20 column by Fred Fleitz -- whom it had featured in five articles over those two weeks -- going on a Biden-bashing tear:
The series of explanations offered by Biden administration officials for the discoveries of classified documents in President Biden’s think tank office, home office, and home garage was not a cover-up of some kind of mistake by Mr. Biden’s former staff — when he was vice president.
Rather, they represent a brazen attempt to hide Mr. Biden’s abuse of government power and his arrogant attitude that the law does not apply to him.
Sadly, Biden's attitude and his playing fast and loose with both the rules and the truth are nothing new.
The American people deserve an explanation of what really happened.
But then, classified documents were found in the possession of Pence -- and, like the Media Research Center, Newsmax suddenly changed its tune. Its first story on the revelation was a wire story, followed by an article touting Trump claiming that "Mike Pence is an innocent man. He never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life. Leave him alone!!!" There was also an article featuring Rand Paul fretting about "the overclassification of documents." A couple days later, there was a wire article in which Pence is literally quoted as saying "mistakes were made." There was also an article featuring FBI Director Christopher Wray lecturing all politicians about classified documents,
In addition, there was a paywalled piece by Marisa Herman claiming that "President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence each may want to consider issuing a mea culpa to former President Donald Trump after it was revealed that both men found classified documents that should not have been in their possession in their personal residences – and in Biden's case, in other locations, too."
Needless to say, Newsmax didn't mention to its readers that in the wake of the Mar-a-Lago raid, it published a wire article featuring Pence denying that he took any classified material with him after leaving the White House. And, like the MRC, Newsmax largely lost interest in the classified-document story after that
