<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The president’s media enablers blamed Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, “the law on the book,” Democrats in Congress, the media, the families themselves, and even “<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2018/06/20/lou-dobbs-claims-illuminati-k-street-pushing-immigration-reform/220504" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">the Illuminati of K Street</a>” for the Trump administration’s policy: </p><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 24px;">Blaming the families themselves</h3><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fox & Friends</em> co-host Ainsley Earhardt claimed that families “<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/static/clips/2018/06/18/60144/fnc-ff-20180618-separation-earhardt-itstheirfault" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">are choosing to be separated</a>” by coming to the United States in the first place. Co-host Steve Doocy agreed, saying “the part that is troubling ... is the conscious decisions the parents are making” in trying to bring their children to America.</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/05/31/The-staggering-corruption-of-Dinesh-DSouzas-pardon/220345" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Recently pardoned felon</a> Dinesh D’Souza rhetorically <a href="https://twitter.com/DineshDSouza/status/1008724526841192448" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">questioned</a> whether the “deported aliens” were “the ones choosing to separate their families.”</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Fox’s David Bossie <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/clips/2018/06/18/60155/fnc-db-20180618-separation" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">said</a> that if parents “don’t become criminals, they’re not separated” from their children.</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Fox’s Tomi Lahren <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2018/06/16/judge-jeanine-ig-report-evidence-deep-state-hard-at-work.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">said</a>, “If you do not want to be separated, do not cross the border illegally. Follow our laws, follow the process. That's the best way to ensure that your family stays together.”</p></li></ul><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 24px;">Blaming former presidents</h3><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Radio host <a href="https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2018/06/18/democrats-say-trump-and-republicans-hate-children/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Rush Limbaugh claimed</a> that family separation at the border "is an entirely manufactured crisis. It’s entirely manufactured. This has been going on for years. It happened during the Obama administration."</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">American Conservative Union Chairman <a href="https://twitter.com/mschlapp/status/1009038186537017344" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Matt Schlapp declared</a>, “Obama and Trump have [the] same child protection policy.”</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Turning Point USA Communications Director <a href="https://twitter.com/RealCandaceO/status/1008827090635034625" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Candace Owens falsely claimed</a> that “these policies were in place” during the Obama administration.</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Turning Point USA President <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1008052191779807233" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Charlie Kirk falsely stated</a>, “All of this happened for 8 years under Obama.”</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">CNN commentator <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebenfergusonshow/posts/10156142437041638" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Ben Ferguson shared</a> an image on Facebook that claimed that policies of separating children from “illegal parents” had been in effect since 2009.</p></li></ul><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Breitbart <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2018/05/04/dhs-promises-zero-tolerance-for-migrants/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">claimed</a> Trump’s “new ‘zero tolerance’ policy worked during the presidency of George W. Bush,” referring to an initiative that began in 2005 and has <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/06/19/621578860/how-prior-zero-tolerance-policies-at-the-border-worked" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">not worked</a>.</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Fox Business’ <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/static/clips/2018/06/21/60203/fbn-dobbs-20180620-familyseparation-lies-obamabush" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Lou Dobbs stated</a> that “previous presidents, including Bush and Obama, long ignored” family separation at the border until Trump “mov[ed] to stop” the practice.</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Fox’s <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/clips/2018/06/19/60163/fnc-hannity-20180618-separation1" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Sean Hannity claimed</a>, “This is nothing new and took place in previous administrations as well.”</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Conspiracy theorist <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/clips/2018/06/19/60165/infowars-jones-20180618-separation" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Alex Jones said</a> that family separation has been “standard procedure for decades” when you “pick up a group of a hundred people and you have no idea who the hell they are.”</p></li></ul><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 24px;">Blaming a nonexistent law</h3><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2018/06/18/myths-and-facts-trumps-separation-families-and-detention-children-us-mexico-border/220468" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">fallaciously</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/31980/media-are-lying-about-trump-separating-illegal-ben-shapiro" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">argued</a> that Trump is simply “enforcing the law on the books.”</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Fox’s David Bossie <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/clips/2018/06/18/60155/fnc-db-20180618-separation" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">claimed</a> that Trump is just “following the law,” ignoring the reality that <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2018/06/18/myths-and-facts-trumps-separation-families-and-detention-children-us-mexico-border/220468#Myth:%20Families%20are%20not%20being%20separated." style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">separation is a Trump administration policy</a>, not the law.</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Fox host Sean Hannity also <a href="https://youtu.be/OvA29nUGeec" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">said</a> that “it is the law.”</p></li></ul><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 24px;">Blaming media, claiming they were using family separation as a distraction</h3><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Fox’s <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2018/06/18/steve-doocy-lies-about-trumps-policy-separating-children-parents-border/220458" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Brian Kilmeade said</a> that Trump’s media detractors “had to reach for something else” after Trump “put a lot of the skeptics to bed … and they found it with the so-called separation of kids and parents.”</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;"><a href="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/06/rush-limbaugh-drive-by-media-bombarding-americans-with-manufactured-crises-to-distract-from-ig-report-robust-economy/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Rush Limbaugh claimed</a> that media is inundating Americans with “manufactured crises” like family separation to distract from the Department of Justice inspector general report and strong economy.</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Fox’s Tucker Carlson, host of one of the most racist hours on television, <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2018/06/18/tucker-carlson-people-speaking-against-america-detaining-children-cages-just-want-change-your/220470" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">said</a> that reporting on family separation is just the media pursuing their goal “to change your country, forever.”</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;"><a href="https://twitter.com/dbongino/status/1008818330537512962" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">NRATV commentator Dan Bongino</a> claimed that media reporting on family separation is “propaganda, nothing more.”</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/clips/2018/06/19/60164/fnc-hannity-20180618-separation2" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Hannity accused</a> the media of harboring an “obsession” with “the so-called policy” of separating children from their parents in order to mislead Americans.</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Twitter troll Bill Mitchell <a href="https://twitter.com/mitchellvii/status/1008329514445950976" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">predicted</a>, “Every Sunday news show will be about Trump's #FakeNews ‘concentration camps’ and NOTHING about the OIG.”</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Sinclair Broadcast Group’s propagandist <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/06/21/sinclair-must-run-segment-family-separation-policy-and-child-detention-attacks-media/220509" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Boris Epshteyn devoted</a> his <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/07/18/don-t-be-fooled-sinclair-trying-bring-fox-news-model-your-local-news-station/217296" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">“must-run” segment</a> on family separation to attacking the media for their “politically driven” attempts “to make it seem as if those who are tough on immigration are somehow monsters.”</p></li></ul><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 24px;">Blaming Democrats, claiming they were using family separation for political ends</h3><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">According to <a href="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/06/far-left-msnbc-crank-rachel-maddow-breaks-down-in-fake-tears-live-on-air-over-immigration-policy-video/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">The Gateway Pundit</a>, Democrats “would rather the problem persist so they can continue to wring their hands over another manufactured crisis to distract from the damning IG report and robust economy.”</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;">Fox Business’ <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/static/clips/2018/06/21/60212/fbbn-varney-20180620-ighearing-hijacked-dems" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Stuart Varney complained</a> that Democrats “hijacked” a hearing on the IG report “within seconds of it beginning,” and “poured out [their] scorn for President Trump” instead.</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/static/clips/2018/06/21/60214/fnc-outnumbered-20180619-trishregan-elijahcummings" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">Fox’s Trish Regan commented</a> that Democrats “would much rather cry on television like [Rep.] Elijah Cummings [D-MD] did” than stop family separation, because “it plays to any hatred they can gin up, as we go into ‘18, for Donald Trump.”</p></li></ul><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 5px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; -webkit-margin-before: 1em; -webkit-margin-after: 1em;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">National Review’</em>s <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/republicans-democrats-face-off-over-family-separation/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(68, 68, 68) !important; font-weight: bold !important;">David French wrote</a>, “I have a feeling that for some partisans, it’s fascism to impose the policy and fascism to try to end it -- at least so long as the GOP is in charge of the process.”</p></li></ul>
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