Fox News to Trump: Please tell us how to spin this mess

[dajoki]

Confused Fox News Not Sure How to Spin Trump's Admitted Ukraine Collusion
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/node/86657

Fox News has never cared about having a coherent and consistent message. As a propaganda and disinformation network, it's not Fox News' job to make sense: It's Fox News' job, these days, to cover for Donald Trump. Yet in the wake of the unfolding Ukraine collusion scandal, where Trump has admitted to pressuring a foreign country to dig up dirt on his domestic rival, Fox News and the conservative media seem particularly lost and scatterbrained as they search for a Trump defense. And yes, it's difficult to land on a defense strategy when Trump himself has admitted to the attempted Ukraine collusion.

The looming challenge for Fox News: How do you defend Trump from allegations of collusion, when Trump has confessed to doing it? (Trump to reporters: "There was pressure put on [Ukraine] with respect to Joe Biden." ) For his media defenders in the conservative biosphere, the Ukraine scandal represents a completely different assignment than the Russian election interference scandal, which Trump vociferously denied being involved in. "The last time he was accused of collaborating with a foreign power to influence an election, he denied it and traveled the country practically chanting, “No collusion!” This time, he is saying, in effect, so what if I did?" The New York Times noted.

Perhaps sensing his political mistake in admitting to collusion, Trump on Tuesday tried to change his cover story, claiming he withheld aid to Ukraine because Europe wasn't contributing any funds, not because he wanted the Ukraine government to dig up dirt on Biden.

<<snip>>

The current Ukraine confusion extends to the Republican Party as well, where top officials seem unsure of how to respond to Trump's admitted collusion.

So far, most Republican members of Congress seem intent on dodging questions about Ukraine, or playing dumb, rather than presenting a stalwart defense of Trump's behavior. The lack of coherent media spin from Fox and Republicans could prove significant if it's the Ukraine scandal that eventually prompts full-on impeachment proceedings against Trump in the House. After all, threatening to withhold $400 million in Ukrainian aid in exchange for launching an investigation into a Democratic political opponent represents an obvious abuse of power.

<<snip>>

In other words, Fox News to Trump: Please tell us how to spin this mess.

[durablend]

1. Oh that's easy

Trump: "THE DEMOCRATS DID IT"

Most of their brain-dead views will believe it.

[BootinUp]

2. Trump is such a fucking genius. Lol. Nt

[Newest Reality]

3. Oh...

Try throwing out: "baseless allegations by the Democrats" and ignore any details. That's all the base really needs to unfurrow their overhanging brows.

[uponit7771]

4. Their current game is to conflate Ukraine with Mueller investigation

[Bayard]

5. That's easy

Obama did it! Hillary's emails!