Joe Biden has always displayed pro “freedom of the press” behavior until he finally slipped up. He’s written Twitter thread after thread telling people they need to vote for him so that the attacks on mainstream media would stop, etc, etc.
One of those tweets Biden put out read the following: “A free press is essential to a free society. That’s why attacking the press and attempting to intimidate independent media is a standard part of the authoritarian playbook around the word. And it’s why Donald Trump’s efforts to demonize the media put us on such a dangerous path.”
That was May 3. Right before CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge broke the news about DNI acting director Richard Grenell’s “unmasking list.” This list included the names of numerous Obama administration officials, including then-Vice President Biden. This was a very bad slip-up for Joe when he had claimed he had no knowledge of the politically-motivated investigation into Gen. Michael Flynn.
The news was so explosive and unsettling to the Biden campaign that Biden’s director of rapid response Andrew Bates sent out a nasty tweet. He targeted Herridge calling her a “partisan rightwing hack” and a “regular conduit for conservative media manipulation ploys.”
The tweet has since been deleted but it’s already been screenshot by dozens of Twitter users. Bates attacked democracy and the free press by jumping at a respected member of the MSM because she reported facts inconvenient to Biden’s campaign narratives. It’s a complete contradiction to what Biden tweeted about respecting the free press not even a week ago. Had it been President Trump attacking the media then oh…things are apparently different.
Where’s the “misogyny angle” to this attack on Herridge? The Left love doing that every time Trump has even the mildest of interactions with a female reporter. Those are the same #MeToo advocates who have gone radio-silent since Tara Reade’s allegations.
Just because Andrew Bates deleted his tweet does not mean the issue is going away. The internet, unfortunately, is forever with its dozen screenshots of his tweet. CNN Anchor Jake Tapper did tweet about this: “Gross. Personal attacks on journalists for sharing facts is obnoxious and indecent. @JoeBiden approves this message.” Then just for good measure, he made a note in a follow-up tweet about how the Trump Campaign does this regularly. He had to include how “fair” and “balanced” he was in criticizing both sides, though this was simply a display of devotion to his leftist following.
Herridge has not responded to this tweet from Bates. Dozens have spoken out about Catherine Herridge’s professionalism and grace. It’s not a surprise that Biden’s friends and supporters haven’t spoken out about this. The same friends and supporters who ignored his predilection for unwanted fondling of unwilling victims. The journalist has made it clear time and time again. She does not play by conventional rules when it comes to reporting.
Bates, on the other hand, is simply nothing but a hypocritical left hack. Just like his boss.
