Diary of disturbing disinformation and dangerous delusions
Spot the difference:
“This is just classic textbook Soviet Russian tradecraft at work.”
— Ex-national intel boss James Clapper, Oct. 2020
vs.
“All we were doing was raising a yellow flag … Politico deliberately distorted what we said.”
— Clapper, Feb. 2023
We say: To protect Joe Biden before the 2020 election, ex-national intel boss James Clapper blatantly sought to discredit Post reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop by suggesting it was Russian disinfo. Yet now that Hunter himself admits the laptop was his (and thus our story accurate), and the GOP-led investigation into the whole affair is gaining speed, Clapper is desperately slicing the salami. Shameless.
This tweet:
We say: “Woke” means “black people” and is “racist”? Let’s cut to the chase: The left labels whatever it dislikes “racist.” And that’s too bad because racism is truly a serious problem; people like O’Brien shouldn’t throw the word around so lightly.
This spin:
“This report suggests that we have an economy that is resilient … [and] inflation is starting to ease.”
— WH economist Cecilia Rouse, Tuesday
We say: The January inflation report showed prices rising faster than expected, at a more than 6% annual rate. That was the sharpest monthly spike since June, with gasoline now soaring again at a 30% annual clip and natural gas at more than 80%. Yes, it’s just one month. But it shows inflation worsening, not “easing.”
This claim:
“Biden is extremely well-liked. … And the Hunter thing … that’s not President Biden.”
— MSNBC co-host Mika Brzezinski, Feb. 10
We say: What a lame (and dishonest) attempt by MSNBC to shore up the president. After all, Biden’s approval rates have hit record lows. And the “Hunter thing” (the Laptop From Hell that revealed tons of Biden-family corruption) does implicate the president. Indeed, the device wouldn’t be a “thing” if Joe weren’t president. But hey, the left has declared that “objectivity” among the media is dead.
This claim:
“That a [Chinese] balloon could traverse, break American airspace … is not a major breach.”
— President Biden, Feb. 9
We say: No, China’s spy balloon, which flew across the entire nation, was no “major breach.” Yet Team Biden nonetheless shot it down, took out three more flying objects, closed airspace in two US regions, canceled Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s high-level meeting with Chinese officials and placed “restrictions” on six firms that supply China’s military aerospace program. Anyone else see a disconnect here?
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board