Topic: Newsmax
When Donald Trump announced (again) that an indicment of him was forthcoming, Newsmax did what it did the last time this happened: helped him play victim. Luca Cacciatore cranked on a June 8 article on Trump's pronouncement:
Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Department of Justice informed his legal team that a federal grand jury in Miami, Florida, had indicted him.
Through his social media platform Truth Social, Trump asserted that he was summoned to appear before the David W. Dyer Federal Building and United States Courthouse on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET.
The former president did not confirm whether the indictment was related to the sensitive files discovered at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, but suggested it was likely the case.
Multiple sources told The New York Times that Trump was charged with a total of seven counts, including willfully retaining national defense secrets in violation of the Espionage Act and conspiracy to obstruct.
Unlike last time -- when several days passed after Trump's proclaimed "arrest" date before he was actually indicted -- the new indictment was confirmed quickly. So Newsmax moved quickly into its usual pattern of hurling defend-and-attack articles with the aid of the usual gang of right-wing talking heads. Here's what it posted on June 8 alone:
- Lara Trump to Newsmax: Trump 'a Target' Since He First Announced WH Bid
- Trump Campaign: Indictment 'Un-American and Wrong'
- Kari Lake on Indictment: 'Joe Biden Is a Vulture'
- Sen. Blackburn: Trump Indictment 'Pinnacle of Two-Tiers of Justice'
- Rep. Jordan: Trump Indictment a 'Sad Day for America'
- Dershowitz: I Don't See How an Administration Can Charge a Presidential Candidate
- Dan Bongino to Newsmax: 'Police State Is Here'
- Rep. Stefanik: Political Weaponization of Govt Must End
- Ted Cruz: 'Enormous Damage to Rule of Law'
- DeSantis Scolds Biden Admin for Trump Indictment
- Giuliani to Newsmax: 'We're a Banana Republic,' 'Fascist'
As usual, journalistic balance was nearly nonexistent. On June 8, it was limited to one article claiming that special counsel Jack Smith "has a history of prosecuting politicians from both parties — with mixed results, and another quoting GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson saying that Trump should quit his campaign.
the following day, on June 9, there were even more attack-and-defend articles:
- Attorney: Trump 'Factually Innocent'
- Congress Leaders React to Trump Indictment News
- Trump Team: Jack Smith Has 'History of Targeting Conservatives'
- Trump Says He Will Plead Not Guilty
- Trump: Special Counsel Smith 'Deranged Psycho'
- Rep. Burlison to Newsmax: 'Ironic' Wray Going After Trump
- Dick Morris to Newsmax: Trump 'Feisty,' 'Upbeat,' After Indictment
- Trump's '24 GOP Rivals Rebuke DOJ, Not Him After Documents Indictment (wire article)
- Guilfoyle to Newsmax: DOJ Really Targeting Ordinary Americans
- Roger Stone to Newsmax: Indictment Will 'Turbocharge' Trump
- Maddow Admits It's Really About Getting Trump Out of Race
- Alina Habba to Newsmax: Indictment 'About 2024 Election'
- Toensing, DiGenova to Newsmax: Flaws All Around Indictment
Surprisingly, there were a greater than usual selection of more neutral articles:
- DOJ Offered Lawyer for Trump Valet Help With Judgeship, Wanted Cooperation
- Trump Shifts Lawyers in Classified Documents Case
- Trump Case Assigned to Judge He Appointed to the Bench (wire article)
- Trump's Valet Is Indicted
- Biden: Have Not Spoken With AG About Trump Indictment (wire article)
- Explainer: What's Next in Trump Docs Case? (wire article)
- Prosecutor Heading Trump Case: 'One Set of Laws' That 'Apply to Everyone' (wire article)
- Trump Indictment Unsealed (wire article)
- How Indictment Could Impact WH Race (wire article)
- Secret Service Not Seeking Special Treatment for Trump's Miami Court Date
There was one negative article featuring former Trump national security adviser John Bolton calling for Trump to quit the race.There was also an article by John Gizzi quoting Republican officials touting how the indictment will play well with the MAGA Repubican base, with one saying he will get a "hero's welcome" at state GOP conventions he attends.
Meanwhile, the first hot take from Newsmax's stable of columnists came in a June 9 column by Larry Bell whining that President Biden hasn't been arrested over his handling of classified documents and that Hunter Biden hasn't been sufficiently persecuted, concluding that "Such egregiously blatant political weaponization of government institutions we count on to protect us are intolerable in a constitutional Republic that values 'equal justice for all.'" Of course, Bell doesn't consider his partisan demands to prosecute anyone named Biden to be "egregiously blatant political weaponization."
