The Patriot Post® · The Smear Continues
Publisher’s Note:
Patriots, this week I am away traveling the Heartland visiting family and taking in some of the sights.
Standing watch for me today is our columnist Gary Bauer.
Predictably, the fake news media did their best to make the disgusting smear by The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg the dominant three-day news story over the Labor Day weekend. As you recall, The Atlantic alleged last week that Trump disparaged our veterans during a 2018 trip to France.
Sadly, Fox News was indistinguishable in its coverage from the leftist media.
Fox dredged up things Trump said about John McCain without reminding viewers of the evidence that McCain helped to circulate the fake Steele dossier that started the Russian-collusion hoax. Fox noted that Trump got five deferments during the Vietnam War. So did Joe Biden.
At least a dozen individuals who were with the president in France have all publicly rejected Goldberg’s claims. The allegation is that these offensive remarks were said during a particular meeting. Everyone, with the exception of Gen. John Kelly, who was in that meeting has publicly denied it.
But Kelly’s top aide, Zach Fuentes, who was at the meeting, also rebuked The Atlantic story, adding, “Honestly, do you think General Kelly would have stood by and let ANYONE call fallen Marines losers?”
First Lady Melania Trump denounced the report. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vehemently denied ever hearing the president use such rhetoric about our veterans. Jamie McCourt, the U.S. ambassador to France who was with the president virtually the entire time, denied it.
Even John Bolton, who is no fan of the president, said that The Atlantic story is “simply false.” Goldberg should either name his four sources or retract the story.
Trump’s History With Veterans
In 1983, Mayor Ed Koch needed to raise money for a memorial honoring New Yorkers who died in the Vietnam War. He called Donald Trump, who immediately wrote a $1 million check, 40% of what Koch needed. Trump’s support was key to getting other donors to step up.
In 1995, New York City almost canceled its annual Veteran’s Day parade due to a lack of funds. Organizers solicited donations from 200 corporations and walked away empty-handed. Donald Trump saved the parade. Here’s what he said at the time:
This donation is the single most important thing I’ve ever done. This is more important than all of my buildings and my casinos. This is my way of saying “Thank You” to all the men and women in the Armed Services who have made it possible for me to become a success. Without them freedom and liberty would be gone.
In January of 2016, Trump skipped a Fox News presidential primary debate and instead held a fundraiser for veterans organizations that raised $5.6 million.
In March of 2017, President Trump held the first Medal of Honor Day ceremony in the White House in 25 years.
In June of 2017, he signed the Veterans Affairs Accountability Act making it easier to fire or suspend VA employees for poor performance.
In June of 2018, Trump signed the Mission Act, greatly expanding healthcare choices for veterans.
In November of 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to attend New York City’s Veterans Day parade in its 100-year history.
These are not the actions of a man who is contemptuous of our veterans and war dead.
Donald Trump has been trying to change a lot of things about the Republican Party — trade policy, foreign policy, China policy, getting serious about the sanctity of life. But the one thing he did not have to change was the Republican Party’s advocacy for our men and women in uniform and our veterans.
The Democrats’ History
Before there was antifa, radicals were rioting in the streets in the 1960s. They were harassing U.S. soldiers coming back from Vietnam and protesting the military, law enforcement, and the U.S. government.
The radicals marched by the hundreds of thousands behind the flag of North Vietnam chanting, “One, two, three, four, we don’t want your f—ing war!” Later they would add to it, “Five, six, seven, eight, turn the war against the state!”
When pilots were shot down over North Vietnam, leftists like Jane Fonda posed in North Vietnamese anti-aircraft weapons. It was leading left-wing senators who undermined the war effort and blocked funding for our troops.
One future Democrat senator came back from Vietnam and accused his fellow soldiers of committing war crimes. Liberals finally found a veteran they loved. They brought him to Capitol Hill for a hearing, and before a national audience John Kerry indicted his fellow soldiers.
Years later, Senator John Kerry accused U.S. troops of “terrorizing” women and children in Iraq. And Secretary of State Kerry negotiated the terrible Obama/Biden nuclear deal with Iran.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden insulted virtually every soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan when they traded five terrorist leaders at Guantanamo Bay for Bowe Bergdahl, a deserter who abandoned his unit.
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin compared U.S. guards at Guantanamo Bay to Nazis.
Rep. Ilhan Omar smeared U.S. troops, accusing them of war crimes in Somalia. Her daughter accused U.S. troops of killing innocent children.
The idea that Joe Biden and the left-wing media are accusing Trump or any conservative of not supporting the military is laughable.