According to reports, White House lawyers have drafted a letter urging CNN, the New York Times, and other US media outlets to investigate Republican lawmakers more vigorously as they seek to impeach US President Joe Biden.
CNN and other receivers reported receiving the letter on Wednesday. “It’s time for the media to ramp up its scrutiny of House Republicans for opening an impeachment inquiry based on lies,” wrote Ian Sams, a spokesman for the White House Counsel’s Office, in the letter. He went on to say that the impeachment moves should “set off alarm bells for news organisations.”
On Tuesday, US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) initiated the impeachment process by asking committees in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to conduct a formal investigation. He said allegations of influence-peddling and solicitation of bribes by the Biden family “paint a picture of a culture of corruption.”
Even before getting any direction from the White House, certain US media outlets looked to be attempting to shield the president. CNN and the Associated Press, for example, reported that Republicans were attempting to prosecute Biden despite a lack of evidence to support their inquiry.
These publications appear to have ignored facts such as sworn testimony from IRS whistleblowers and bank transfer documents already provided by lawmakers. By initiating impeachment procedures, congressional committees will obtain greater authority to subpoena documents that could aid establish or refute the claims.
Matthew Keys, a veteran US journalist who has worked for Reuters and Fox News, said the White House edict on impeachment coverage was “not OK.” He went on to say, “The White House should not be encouraging, influencing, or interfering in the editorial strategies of America’s newsrooms, including CNN and the New York Times.” According to Keys, the letter could backfire because “anytime the media does try to hold Republicans to account, those lawmakers can simply counter by questioning whether it’s actual journalism or something encouraged by the Biden administration.”
According to Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, the memo “has the uneasy feeling of marching orders to the media.” He claimed that by attempting to influence coverage of the impeachment investigation, the government “removes any pretence of separation between Biden’s personal legal team and the White House Counsel’s Office.”
Sams, who is also a senior adviser to Biden, claimed the Republicans’ nearly nine-month inquiry had failed to “turn up any evidence of the president doing anything wrong.” He went on to say that impeachment is “grave, rare, and historic,” and that the press must give Republican allegations “appropriate scrutiny.” A 14-page addendum to the White House official’s memo included talking points to confront Republican “lies.”
