Topic: Newsmax
Newsmax had been freaking out over Donald Trump's latest indictment, and when arraignment day came on June 13, it ramped thins up even more. A paywalled article called the indictment and coming trial an "October surprise," followed by a fairly straightforward article by Jeffrey Rodack about efforts to allow cameras during the arraignement. Then came the usual attack-and-defend mode:
- Morning Consult Poll: Trump's Lead Rises After Indictment
- Dershowitz to Newsmax: Why Won't Trump's Trial Be on TV?
- Ramaswamy Wants 2024 Candidates' Trump Pardon Pledge
- Sen. Vance to Block DOJ Nominees to Protest Agency
- Versailles Revelers Sing 'Happy Birthday' to Trump
- Donald Trump Jr. to Newsmax: 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' Exposed Corrupt DOJ
- Trump Visits Prayer Meeting After Court Appearance
- Matt Schlapp to Newsmax: Trump Indictment Is Too Political
- Giuliani to Newsmax: A Lot Riding on Trump Case for Smith
- Carlson: Trump's 'Sins Minor' Compared to His 'Persecutors'
- Trump: 'They Will Fail, And We Will Win Bigger, Better'
Surprisingly, Newsmax did devote a larger-than-usual percentage of arraignment-related stories to more balanced topics:
- N.Y. AG: Trump Indictment Might Pause Other Cases
- Trump Aide Nauta Did Not Enter Plea in Docs Case
- McConnell Mum on Trump Charges, Potential Endorsement
- Trump Defense Team Still Taking Shape as He Appears in Court
- Trump Pleads 'Not Guilty' to 37 Counts in Federal Hearing
- Pence Refuses to Defend Trump in Indictment
Trump sycophant Dick Morris, meanwhile, cranked out a column that day trying to divert attention away from the indictment to, yes, Hillary Clinton:
The real loser here is Hillary Clinton.
The indictment has had the effect of turning the political clock back to 2016 and Hillary’s e-mail scandal.
Even as people see President Trump in the dock for keeping a small number of classified documents at his home, we all wonder why Hillary, who did not just have classified documents but actually erased more than 30,000 of them, has escaped trial.
And, if Hillary is the real defendant in how this case is playing out politically, her co-defendant is Joe Biden.
Actually, there's no comparison between the two. Hillary did not have 30,000 classified documents -- in fact, none of those emails on her personal server were marked as classified, and an investigation found that Clinton did nothing illegal. By contrast, Trump had documents that were clearly marked as classified and had his lawyers lie to the feds about whether all classified documents in his possession had been returned.
Morris then ranted about how Hunter Biden had been "purportedly bribed," and that "The Trump indictment is nothing but a tactic to take coverage away from the $5 million bribe Zlochevsky is alleged to have paid to then vice-president Biden." But there's no actual evidence to back it up at this point -- hence Morris' weasel words "purportedly" and "allegedly" -- whereas with Trump there are tapes.
