Director for Counter Terrorism at the National Security Council Sebastian Gorka halted CNN’s Jake Tapper on Wednesday after the host attempted to cite The Washington Post’s report on alleged concerns about U.S. foreign assistance cuts.
The Post reported on Feb. 14 that due to the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign assistance, concerns in West Africa and the Middle East have arisen over potential national security threats, citing four unnamed current and former U.S. officials. On “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” the CNN host cited the report to Gorka but was quickly stopped after the Trump adviser questioned the outlet’s previous reporting.
“So last month, the Washington Post reported that the freeze on U.S. foreign assistance in Africa has, ‘threatened programs intended to counter al-Shabaab bomb makers, contain the spread of al-Qaeda across West Africa, and secure Islamic State prisoners in the Middle East, according to U.S. officials and aid workers,’” Tapper said. “Are those cuts still in place? Are you concerned about them at all?”
“Is that the same Washington Post that propagated the Russia-Russia collusion hoax for the last eight years?” Gorka asked.
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In 2018, both The Post and The New York Times won Pulitzer Prizes for their coverage of the Mueller report, which included portions of the infamous Steele dossier that paved the roadmap for the FBI’s investigation of alleged collusion between President Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign and Russia. However, nearly three years after the award, in 2021, The Post deleted and corrected portions of two articles about the Steele dossier, saying it “could no longer stand by the accuracy of those elements of the story.”
“Well, regardless of the Russia-Russia —” Tapper began.
“No, not regardless,” Gorka responded. “You’re quoting the Washington Post to me, which is as effective as posting for me or quoting to me any other pillar of the fake news industrial complex. I really couldn’t care less what the Washington Post or the New York Times says, especially when it’s anonymous government officials. If it’s true, put your name to it. If it’s not, shut up.”
In its corrections, The Washington Post made significant changes to two articles published in March 2017 and February 2019 “that had identified a Belarusian American businessman as a key source of the ‘Steele dossier.’” The headline and several sections identifying businessman Sergei Millian as the source of the Steele dossier were removed, with an editor’s note added to the 2017 article saying that the outlet had originally believed Millian to be the source of the dossier.
Despite an 11-month investigation, Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff, who was the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee at the time and pushed for the Russia collusion investigation, admitted there had been no “proof” strong enough to put before a jury.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America
