On Tuesday night, the liberal major broadcast networks ignored on an important update to the investigation on the fake whips story along the southern border as the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general declined to investigate claims that Border Patrol agents used whips in September against Haitians illegally crossing into the U.S., passing the probe onto its Office of Professional Responsibility.
Of course, NewsBusters readers may recall that, when such claims were leveled on the week of September 19, ABC, CBS, NBC, and a whole host of fellow liberal outlets eagerly claimed without evidence that border officials were engaged in racism by whipping Black people longing to seek the American Dream.
And just as they’ve done with the Steele dossier, the media are refusing to admit their mistake.
However, multiple Fox News Channel shows and even one CNBC show were on the case. FNC’s The Faulkner Focus spent the most time on the update, leading the show with a one-minute-and-46-second segment giving viewers the story and calling out the behavior of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“[T]he DHS inspector general has just declined to investigate those mounted border agents accused of whipping migrants. Now, remember, that wasn't true. And we know it wasn't true. And the pictures, those optics of the Biden administration were negative for them,” she began.
Reminding viewers that Mayorkas had promised an investigation to commence and conclude “within days,” Faulkner noted they’re “passing the ball around” and while her show will “follow the bouncing ball...the bottom line was Mayorkas had just been on the ground at the border and had seen the way that they do their jobs,” but refused to defend them.
Faulkner closed by doing what Mayorkas wouldn’t and restated that border agents were “doing their jobs in a methodical way” and “not carrying whips,” but the “narrative” was peddled even though it “was never true.”
“Instead, he capitulated to the loud narrative of go after the border agents. Well, apparently, that narrative is getting a little quieter month by month,” she added.
On Special Report with Bret Baier, the intrepid Bill Melugin capped his latest report from the border with 45 seconds on how this two-month-long probe had yet to advance, correctly reporting that “agents...were falsely accused of whipping Haitian migrants in Del Rio during that situation under the bridge a couple of months ago.”
Former FNC host Shepard Smith was also on the case, providing a 54-second brief within the first 20 minutes of his show The News (click “expand”):
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas promised a swift investigation into these images almost two months ago. Border Patrol agents on horseback aggressively chasing and corralling Haitian migrants near Del Rio, Texas. On September 22nd, Mayorkas told Congress the investigation would be completed within days, not weeks. That was September 22nd. Today, Homeland Security officials gave the update saying the inspector general has decided not to investigate, so no new time table when the investigation will be completed.
Instead, the Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility will handle the probe. That office is charged with investigating alleged misconduct by CBP employees. Officials say the office immediately started investigative work, including reviewing videos and photographs and interviewing witnesses, employees, and border protection leadership.
Instead of bringing viewers up to speed, ABC’s World News Tonight and the CBS Evening News ironically highlighted tensions along the Belarus-Poland border while NBC Nightly News went inside General Motors’s new electric car factory.
Flashing back to September, these networks were eager to boast of these debunked claims as if they were fact.
On ABC, World News Tonight anchor David Muir boasted on September 20 that they were “alarming images” and correspondent Kenneth Moton dubbed it “chaos and despair.” CBS correspondent Manuel Bojorquez was similarly unconcerned about facts that day, claiming U.S. officials were “threatening” illegal immigrants “with what appears to be horses reins or ropes.” Predictably, Telemundo also joined in the misinformation campaign.
The next night, the same two networks were up to no good while ABC kept up the lie into September 22.
If the liberal media admitted their mistakes, perhaps more people would trust them.
To see the relevant transcripts from November 16, click here.
