By now, most are aware that the alleged fact-checkers in the media are used as a partisan arm of the industry. Despite the claim to their position, facts are malleable, and accurate statements become interpreted based on who is involved – that is to say, which party they are connected to in the analysis.
While the tactics are now known (and continue to deserve exposure), what makes these efforts so impotent is these fact-checks are positioned as a definitive statement on a particular item. It has gone through the verification and a final ruling has been applied. The attempt then is to say that any time the issue is revisited, the outlet proclaims “our fact-checker has already determined…”, and then nothing further can be addressed.
Until these dupes become exposed by the truth.
One of the most recent examples is pernicious, as it involves a direct threat to this nation and one that has been wholly dismissed by the press. In Oklahoma, an Afghani national was arrested when it was exposed that he intended to inflict terrorist violence during the upcoming election. Undercover agents collected 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who was discovered to be an ISIS agent and had been in contact with terrorists via Telegram, indicating his intentions to commit terror acts next month.
What makes this reality more grating is the press has been consistent in its coverage that Republicans, Donald Trump, and/or conservative news outlets are wrong in their claim that amid the immigrants crossing the border or the numerous other avenues they can use to enter this country, and that there are dangerous criminal or terror-affiliated individuals gaining entry and not being tracked properly. On this particular story, CNN was at the forefront of the denials.
In a fact-check delivered during the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, it was said that claims that we were letting in people who did not endure proper background checks were erroneous: “In the days and weeks leading up to the withdrawal deadline, a number of Republicans and conservative media outlets raised concerns that Afghans are coming to the US without first being vetted.”
This tips their hand on these “fact-checks.” These verifiers leap into action if there is a claim by those on the right, or a need to protect the Democrats and Biden administration, and frequently both are in play. The approach is that they – Republicans, and especially Donald Trump – are wrong by default, and it is up to the fact-checkers to put them in their place. This is frequently done in place of actually checking facts and verifying reality. In the case of this Afghani vetting claim, it was “proven” false by taking statements from those affected by the claims.
State Department officials clarified that airport entry was being restricted. Measures were also in place to confirm all those arriving in the US are eligible and cleared to do so. President Joe Biden emphasized Sunday that “Anyone arriving in the United States will have undergone a background check.”
With this being the case, who is it that is now saying that Tawhedi was part of that evacuation from Afghanistan and supposedly slipped through this comprehensive vetting process??? Uh, well…it’s CNN.
According to prosecutors, Tawhedi entered the United States in September 2021 and is currently on parole status pending the adjudication of his immigration proceedings.
This was more than a random coincidence. Our authorities were aware when Tawhedi came to the U.S. as part of the evacuee effort to bring people out of Afghanistan. So yes, he was involved with the extraction program, meaning he was not properly vetted.
Authorities said Mr. Tawhedi came to the U.S. on Sept. 9, 2021, which is just after Mr. Biden finished the chaotic troop withdrawal that saw the Taliban retake control of the country. The FBI said Mr. Tawhedi is here on “parole,” which is the power Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has used to bring in tens of thousands of Afghans and millions more unauthorized migrants from across the globe.
This is a glaring example of a news outlet downplaying – dismissing outright – something that is a huge concern for the nation and, in so doing, actually providing cover for the administration that is actively endangering American lives. In doing so, they also demonize those who were issuing warnings that are now shown to be very legitimate. We see the players acting in a negligent fashion being excused, while the people acting in a proper fashion are being called the problem.
The only way to describe this is in the use of a favored charge seen in the press – they are acting in a manner that is an inherent threat to our democracy.
