MY Columns

The media's disgraceful surrender to Donald Trump

Despite the gloom and doom surrounding the results of November 5, it would be nice to end the year with a glimmer of hope: the certainty that at least one guardrail against a Trump dictatorship was still in place. Alas, that's not the case.

Two other guardrails, the courts and the Congress, were already lost. The Roberts' Supreme Court has already signaled that Trump can do anything he wants, and they'll do nothing to stop him. And today's feckless Republican senators and representatives are so afraid of Trump, they'll vote for anything and anybody he wants, even an alleged alcoholic and sexual abuser for Secretary of Defense and a vaccine and fluoride denier for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

But not all was lost, we thought momentarily. We still had the media. We had our watchdogs in the press. They'd still be on the job, telling the truth, informing the American people and holding Donald Trump accountable.

Nope! Forget about that third guardrail. As we move closer to the autocracy Trump has threatened, there will be no leaders in the media to stand up for democracy. Why? Not because Trump shut them down. He didn't have to. Because, in a disgraceful, colossal act of "anticipatory obedience," media owners have thrown in the towel. One by one, some of the biggest names in the media have waved the white flag of surrender.

The Washington Post. Before November 5, owner Jeff Bezos killed an editorial endorsing Kamala Harris. Shortly after Trump's election, Bezos said he was "actually very optimistic" about Trump's second term. This week, he made the obligatory trek to Mar-a-Lago to kiss Trump's ring (?) and donate $1 million to the Trump Inauguration Fund.

Meta. Once one of Trump's biggest critics - who even kicked Trump off Facebook - Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg also made the pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago, kissed Trump's ring (?), and kicked $1 million into the Inaugural Fund.

MSNBC. Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, hosts of "Morning Joe" and outspoken Trump critics, were the first to rush to Mar-a-Lago to embrace Trump - and later aired an on-air apology to comments critical of Trump's defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth made by guest David Frum.

The Los Angeles Times. Owner Patrick Soon-Shiong also killed his paper's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris. Since the election, he's announced plans to apply a "media bias test" to the paper's future political reporting. Last week, he nixed an editorial opposing the Senate's use of recess appointments, instead of the constitutional confirmation process, to consider Trump Cabinet nominations - unless the paper also ran another editorial expressing the opposite point of view.

ABC News. In the most shocking display of media cowardice, ABC News suddenly announced it was caving in, settling Trump's defamation lawsuit against the network and donating $15 million to a future Trump presidential museum. ABC surrendered without a fight, even though most legal scholars said there was no way Trump would win the case. Host George Stephanopoulos did not defame Trump when he said he'd been found "liable of rape" by a New York jury - because that's exactly what the judge in the case said on the record.

And what did these media moguls expect to get from Trump in return for their slobbering kiss on the cheek? Respect? Cooperation? Support? No more accusations of "fake news?"

Fuhgeddaboudit! At a news conference this week, Trump again charged that "Our press is very corrupt, almost as corrupt as our elections" - and then proceeded to file a lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer for releasing a pre-election poll showing Kamala Harris ahead in Iowa by three points. She was wrong. Trump won Iowa. But Trump still accuses the Register and Selzer of "election interference." He's also promised to sue CBS News, Politico and the Washington Post's Bob Woodward.

Watching this embarrassing parade of media moguls bending the knee, it was chilling to see this headline in The Hill: "Trump Settlement with ABC Alarms Democrats." What? Alarms Democrats? No! ABC's surrender should alarm us all. And so should the efforts of Bezos, Zuckerberg, Soon-Shiong and others to cozy up to Trump.

Why? Because it means, out of fear of Trump, that many in the media will be prevented from doing their job: providing transparency, telling the truth and holding politicians accountable. And without a fearless free press, we're lost. As Walter Cronkite warned: "Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy." You can bet he wouldn't be crawling to Mar-a-Lago.

No defending this wannabe secretary of defense

It's a ritual as old as America. A new president is elected. He then selects the leaders of his team, who are subject to confirmation by the Senate based on their experience and qualifications for the office to which they were nominated.

There's only one thing lacking today: a laugh-out loud test, whereby some nominees would never be seriously considered because they're so manifestly unfit for office. Instead, they'd be immediately dismissed by leaders of both parties as some kind of sick joke.

Too bad it doesn't exist today, because there are several of Donald Trump's nominees who wouldn't pass the laugh test. Like Tulsi Gabbard, who couldn't even qualify for a national security clearance, as director of National Intelligence. Like Kash Patel, who vows to shut down FBI Headquarters, as the agency's new director. Like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who vows to wipe all protection against measles, polio, Covid and other infectious diseases, as secretary of Health and Human Services.

But nobody embodies the laugh test more than Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee to be the next secretary of Defense, whose only real job was as a second-rate, weekend Fox News host. It's hard to imagine a less qualified candidate.

The Department of Defense is America's largest government agency, with almost 3 million employees, including 1.4 million active-duty personnel. Hegseth has no executive or senior command experience, and has no background in the defense industry, Congress or federal government - traditional training grounds for defense secretary. Not only that, he's called for firing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for being too "woke," has insisted "we should not have women in combat zones," vocally supported soldiers accused of war crimes and said that having gay people serve in the military is part of a "Marxist" agenda.

Hegseth also has a history of serious behavioral problems with alcohol and sexual abuse. As reported by the New Yorker and CBS News, he was "pushed out" as head of Concerned Veterans of America because of "being "repeatedly intoxicated while acting in his official capacity -- to the point of needing to be carried out of the organization's events." NBC News aired reports by 10 Fox News staffers about Hegseth's alcohol abuse, including smelling alcohol on his breath before his going on the air, being called on the carpet by Fox management for alcohol-induced misbehavior at a Fox Christmas party and getting so drunk at a producer's wedding he had trouble standing in the men's bathroom and friends arranged a ride home so he could make it to the studio the next morning. As Atlantic columnist David Frum joked on "Morning Joe," "If you're too drunk for Fox News, you're very, very drunk indeed."

And, of course, Hegseth also faces multiple accusations of serial extramarital affairs and sexual abuse: at Concerned Veterans of America, at Fox News, and, most notably, in a 2017 Monterey, California, incident where he was accused of raping a local Republican political leader. No charges were filed, and Hegseth denies doing anything wrong. Rapists always do. Just ask DJT.

But Hegseth's serial sexual abuse was bad enough for his mother to tell him via email: "You are an abuser of women - that is the ugly truth and I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around, and uses women for his own power and ego."

OK, you can understand why Donald Trump would appoint someone like Hegseth. Birds of a feather! But how can Republican senators even consider taking him seriously? It doesn't pass the laugh test!

Our men and women in the military are required to adhere to a high standard of moral behavior. It's drilled into every recruit. The Pentagon has very severe penalties for anyone caught intoxicated while on duty - and very strong rules, although not always strictly enforced, against sexual misconduct. Because of his history of alcohol and sexual abuse, Pete Hegseth would never be considered for a senior military command, or would be stripped of his rank, if already an officer. Yet spineless Senate Republicans, who used to brag about supporting the military, now appear willing to ignore Hegseth's alarming personal behavior and force him on the Pentagon - because that's what their "dear leader" wants.

Hegseth's nomination is an insult to anyone who's ever worn the uniform and to every brave man and woman wearing it today. They are patriots. They are heroes. They deserve better: a leader who sets an example, not one they'll be embarrassed by.

Hunter's pardon: Only the first of many!

It's hard to know who's more to blame for the insane reaction to Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter: MAGA Republicans, the media or fellow Democrats. The response from all three has been overwrought, manufactured and pitifully sanctimonious.

Depending on which "absolutely horrified!" source you pick, Biden's action was a "miscarriage of justice," an "improper use of power" that would "erode Americans trust in government," set an "unfortunate precedent" (in pardoning a close family member), and give Donald Trump a "license to abuse the pardon process."

Oh, please! Spare me the phony piety. Biden did the right thing in pardoning Hunter Biden. And, hopefully, he'll pardon many more before January 20.

First, forget the idea that Biden's action in any way encourages Donald Trump to abuse the pardon process. He did so, big-time, in his first four years. And he's already promised to do even more, next time, starting with wholesale pardons for the roughly 1,500 individuals charged with federal crimes in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Here's just a handful of the 143 criminals pardoned by Donald Trump, first time around: Roger Stone, convicted of lying to Congress; Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI; Paul Manafort, convicted of financial fraud; Steve Bannon, charged with financial fraud and imprisoned for ignoring a congressional subpoena; George Papadopoulos, convicted of lying to the FBI; Sheriff Joe Arpaio, convicted of contempt of court for targeting immigrants; and Dinesh D'Souza, pleaded guilty to election fraud. Next to them, Hunter Biden looks like an altar boy.

Forget the idea that Biden's set a new low by pardoning a family member. Abraham Lincoln was the first president to pardon a member of his family, but not the last. On his final day in office, Bill Clinton granted a pardon to his half-brother Roger. And Trump himself pardoned Charles Kushner, his son-in-law's father, who was convicted and served time for tax evasion and witness tampering. Kushner also hired a sex worker to lure his brother-in-law into a hotel room with a hidden camera and then sent a tape of their sexual encounter to his sister. Thanks to Donald Trump, that outstanding citizen will be our next ambassador to France.

And forget about Biden's breaking a campaign promise. Did he once promise not to pardon his son? Yes. But Biden's breaking a campaign promise is hardly as serious as Trump's breaking the promise of his oath of office to protect and defend the republic. Besides, a lot has changed since Biden made that promise, including Trump's nominating a new head of the FBI who's publicly stated that one of his goals is to go after Hunter Biden. No parent could expect Biden to throw his own son to the Donald Trump wolves.

But don't forget about what Hunter Biden was charged with. Two crimes: evading taxes, but paying them later, together with a penalty; and lying on a gun purchase form. Both are illegal acts, but neither would normally rate the attention of the mighty Justice Department. They would have, and should have been settled, at the lower court level.

Hunter Biden's no angel. He's a ne'er-do-well, most of whose pain is self-inflicted. But his father's right. His prosecution was purely political. Delaware's Trump-appointed U.S. attorney only made a federal case out of Hunter to help Trump talk about the "Biden Crime Family." He would never have been a top Justice Department target if his name were Hunter Smith.

However, if Hunter deserves a pardon because he's been singled out for political persecution, he's not the only one Trump's called out by name. So have as many as 100 others: Democrats Kamala Harris, Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi and Jamie Raskin; Republicans Liz Cheney, Bill Barr and John Bolton; Special Counsel Jack Smith, and Dr. Anthony Fauci; and everybody at the New York Times, Washington Post, and MSNBC. Biden should give all of them a preemptive pardon, protecting them in advance from whatever phony crimes Trump might accuse them of.

And, again, forget all those who predictably accuse Biden of being the first to do so. Republican Gerald Ford gave a preemptive pardon to Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush did so for Caspar Weinberger and Donald Trump himself gave a preemptive pardon to Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Come to think of it, since I could probably not refrain from violence if I encountered any member of Trump Two walking down the street, I might ask for one of those preemptive pardons for myself!

Bill Press: Trump's insane cabinet: Gaetz gone. Confirm the rest!

By nominating the feckless Matt Gaetz as attorney general, Donald Trump wanted to show how far he's willing to go in blowing up the federal government. How fitting that cynical ploy blew up in his face.

Was Gaetz fit for the job? No way! He only practiced law for two years. He accomplished nothing in Congress except to lead the mutiny against Kevin McCarthy. He was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for having sex with a 17-year-old one day and then nominated for attorney general the next (details of his pay-for-sex parties have already leaked out). And he pledged to weaponize the Justice Department to go after the "deep state" and Trump's political opponents.

The Gaetz nomination was met with immediate shock and outrage - by fellow Republicans. He's a "terrible pick," said Washington Times political correspondent Byron York. The conservative Bible, the National Review, slammed his nomination as "foolish" and "futile." Conservative commentator Ben Domenech called Gaetz "vile" and "abhorrent," adding "If you vote for him to be attorney general of the United States, you don't just need your head examined, you need to be committed to a mental institution." And John Bolton - who, remember, was Donald Trump's national security adviser - called Gaetz "the worst Cabinet appointment in American history."

Facing the prospect of an ugly and ultimately unsuccessful confirmation hearing, Gaetz withdrew his nomination. The wheels are already starting to fall off the Trump wagon.

Now, what about the rest of Trump's insane Cabinet nominations? My answer - hold onto your hats - confirm them all! Let the beast loose!

If Gaetz was not qualified for the job, neither are Trump's three other controversial picks: former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of National Intelligence; Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of Defense; and anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services.

In fact, they are singularly unqualified. Gabbard has never worked in the intelligence world or served on a congressional intelligence committee. Two years ago, she was accused by fellow Republicans, including Adam Kinzinger and Mitt Romney, of spreading Russian propaganda. Hegseth has no senior military or national security experience. Accused of sexual assault at a Republican Party conference in California in 2017, he denied the claim, but still paid the woman to keep quiet. Kennedy has no formal scientific or medical credentials, other than his self-described role as "poster child for the anti-vax movement."

Nevertheless, Republican senators should still confirm all three. Why? Two reasons. First, because that's what the American people voted for.

Unlike 2016, when, one could argue, Americans were lulled into voting for Trump because they didn't really know him, this time was no accident. They knew what they were getting in Donald Trump: an egomaniac, serial adulterer, pathological liar, racist, misogynist, twice-impeached, four times indicted convicted felon who vowed a second term built on revenge against his political enemies, carried out by spineless sycophants loyal to nothing or nobody but Donald Trump.

That's what Trump promised at every campaign rally. That's what half of Americans voted for. That's what they wanted, and that's what they got. Now let them own it. Elections have consequences. And this is one of them.

Second reason. I hate to say it, but those who voted for Donald Trump deserve the worst. Again, they knew how unfit he is to be president. They knew he would surround himself with an equally unfit band of dangerous extremists. But they ignored the warning of former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who called Trump a "fascist." They dismissed the alarm expressed by former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney: "In our nation's 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump." They voted for Trump, anyway.

Chaos will result. Under Gabbard, our allies will no longer share intelligence with the United States, making us more vulnerable to foreign and domestic attacks. Under Hegseth, the Pentagon's top generals will be sent packing and troops will be patrolling American cities, rounding up 12 million people here illegally, breaking up their families, and throwing them out of the country. Under Kennedy, the world's best scientists and doctors at CDC will be fired and, without vaccines, we could well face a deadly measles attack.

It's going to be painful. People will get hurt. But here's the good part: The worse it gets, the sooner Trump voters will realize their mistake, and the stronger the Resistance will grow. Let the reckoning begin.