President Trump has hit the Twitter box with a fury today, retweeting conservative mouthpiece Dinesh D’Souza who blamed the left for recent spates of neo-Nazi violence, a quote Mother Teresa, and a tweet from Fox News correspondent Katie Pavlich that was completely (surprise!) fake news.
Pavlich was responding to former Obama national security adviser Ben Rhodes’s tweet castigating Trump for his pardon of racist former lawman Joe Arpiao. The controversial sheriff flouted civil rights laws, abused his power, and ignored a court order to stop. Trump gave him a full pardon on Friday evening as all eyes were on Hurricane Harvey barrelling down on the Texas coast.
“Obama used his pardon and commutation power to give a second chance to people who deserved empathy, not racists who showed none,” Rhodes wrote, spurring Pavlich to respond with, “Your boss pardoned a traitor who gave U.S. enemies state secrets, he also pardoned a terrorist who killed Americans. Spare us the lecture.” Trump promptly retweeted Pavlich.
The problem? It’s not true.
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Pavlich is referencing Chelsea Manning and Oscar Lopez Rivera in her tweets. President Obama didn’t give either of the pardons. He commuted their sentences, allowing them to leave prison after 7 and 35 years behind bars respectively.
But, hey, when it comes to President Obama, when has Trump ever cared about the truth?
Related: Chelsea Manning does first TV interview since release
Even better, Pavlich, a correspondent for one of the largest television news networks in the world, is decrying the mainstream media for “squabbling” over the difference between two distinct legal actions.
Because in the days of Trump, you don’t own up to your mistakes or exaggerations. You blame the media – even if you are the media.
Obama used his pardon and commutation power to give a second chance to people who deserved empathy, not racists who showed none. https://t.co/KXhBQk5MHu
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) August 26, 2017
Your boss pardoned a traitor who gave U.S. enemies state secrets, he also pardoned a terrorist who killed Americans. Spare us the lecture. https://t.co/90jZcPXYqx
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) August 27, 2017
Ah, I see msm wants to squabble over pardon vs commutation (while also offering "unbiased" opinions on the issue). Doesn't change the point https://t.co/dZrE6qu6LM
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) August 28, 2017
