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ABC Suggests Trump Fired U.S. Attorneys After On-Air Urging from Sean Hannity
Newsbusters ^ | March 12, 2017 | 10:51 AM EDT | By Nicholas Fondacaro |

Posted on 03/12/2017 11:58:40 AM PDT by drewh

After of a week of the liberal media claiming President Donald Trump was being misled by conservative media, ABC’s David Wright continued the charge by insinuating the President was listening to Fox News for governing advice. “On Friday, the Attorney General asked for resignation letters from all 46 federal prosecutors who were Obama-era holdovers,” Wright reporting during Good Morning America before diving into conspiracy theories, “Sessions' decision to clean house came just one day after Trump loyalist Sean Hannity called for a purge.”

Wright played a YouTube video of Thursday’s Hannity, where the Fox News host warned that there were “Obama holdovers bureaucrats who are hell bent on destroying this president.” Hannity then declared that “Tonight, it's time for the Trump Administration to begin to purge these saboteurs before it’s too late.” Wright made the same charge during Saturday’s World News Tonight.

The bizarre insinuation came as the network was bemoaning the firing of Obama-appointed US Attorney Preet Bharara. “Not many prosecutors get the cover of Time magazine. But that's Preet Bharara in 2012 with the headline, ‘This man is busting Wall Street,’” touted Wright, “Bharara refused. ‘I didn’t resign,’ He tweeted Saturday, ‘Moments ago I was fired.’”

In contrast, during NBC’s Sunday Today, a far more grounded reason for the firing of Bharara and the US attorneys was given. “This happened under President Clinton. Attorney General Janet Reno asked those 93 attorneys to step aside,” host Willie Geist recalled as he asked MTP moderator Chuck Todd for farther analysis about why it was getting so much attention.

“I think it's only getting more attention because of Preet Bharara, to be honest,” Todd seemed to scoff. He noted that Bharara was the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, which is “high-profile,” and that New York Senator Chuck Schumer got Trump to agree to keep Bharara on board initially. “The relationship between Schumer and Trump has soured big time. So, I don't think Trump feels as if he has to uphold that deal anymore,” Todd explained. He also drew attention to the important roll such appointments play for political parties:

And the second, you got to remember what political parties use U.S. attorney appointments for. It is used in many cases to seed the political party of future governors, mayors, senators. U.S. attorneys are usually where your next level of political leaders come from in every new political administration when you have a change in parties likes to, sort of, reseed the U.S. attorney slots in that respect.

NBC did make a similar charge to Wright’s during Saturday’s morning show Today, but dropped the assertion come that evening’s Nightly News broadcast.

ABC’s Wright did mention that such mass firings have happened before but treated that fact as just a convenient excuse for the White House. “One big difference is that the Trump Justice Department is already embroiled in controversy,” he stated as he seemed to try and tie the firings to ongoing investigations, “Investigating Russian meddling in the election. Including allegations, Trump campaign officials may have colluded. The attorney general himself is under scrutiny.”

It’s extremely irresponsible for ABC News to spend an entire weekend peddling a report driven by conspiracy theory. It’s especially hypocritical of them after they spent the previous weekend falsely claiming Mark Levin was a “conspiracy-Loving” conservative talk radio host.

Transcript below:

<<< Please support MRC's NewsBusters team with a tax-deductible contribution today. >>>

DONATE ABC Good Morning America March 12, 2017 8:08:14 AM Eastern

DAN HARRIS: The other big story involving the Trump Administration this morning. That bizarre standoff with a prominent federal prosecutor. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara refused a request from the Justice Department that he step down and then he tweeted that he got fired. ABC’s David Wright is in Washington with more. David, good morning to you.

DAVID WRIGHT: Good morning, Dan. Even if this is the first time you're hearing his name, you definitely heard of Preet Bharara's job. This is the most prominent prosecutor in the country. It's Giuliani's old job. Or if you watch the show Billions, it's Paul Giamatti's character. If there were ever a case where the alleged crime scene were Trump Tower, this would be the guy most likely to try it.

[Cuts to video]

Not many prosecutors get the cover of Time magazine. But that's Preet Bharara in 2012 with the headline, “This man is busting Wall Street.” Back in November, the President-Elect summoned the fiercely independent prosecutor to Trump Tower and asked him to stay.

PREET BHARARA: We had a good meeting. I said I would absolutely consider staying on. I agreed to stay on. I have already spoken to Senator Sessions.

WRIGHT: Not anymore. On Friday, the Attorney General asked for resignation letters from all 46 federal prosecutors who were Obama-era holdovers. Bharara refused. “I didn’t resign,” He tweeted Saturday, “Moments ago I was fired.”

But ABC News has learned there were crossed signals. Sources say Bharara received a voice mail Thursday from the White House asking him to call back and speak with the President. No reason given. Bharara believed speaking with the President would violate DOJ protocols, so he contacted the Attorney General's office instead and told the White House, he could not speak with the President. The White House declined to comment on the phone call.

Sessions' decision to clean house came just one day after Trump loyalist Sean Hannity called for a purge.

SEAN HANNITY: For weeks, we have been warning you about the deep state Obama holdovers bureaucrats who are hell bent on destroying this president, President Trump. Tonight, it's time for the Trump Administration to begin to purge these saboteurs before it’s too late.

WRIGHT: But the White House notes plenty of other presidents [showed pictures of Clinton, Bush, and Obama] have installed their own prosecutors, too. One big difference is that the Trump Justice Department is already embroiled in controversy. Investigating Russian meddling in the election. Including allegations, Trump campaign officials may have colluded. The attorney general himself is under scrutiny.

JEFF SESSIONS: Therefore, I have recused myself in the matters that deal with the Trump campaign.

[Cuts back to live]

WRIGHT: As we say, it's not uncommon for an administration to put their own prosecutors in at the Justice Department. What is odd here, is the timing. The abrupt order on a Friday afternoon after promises were apparently given. Amidst everything else that’s going on at the Trump Justice Department. Dan?

HARRIS: Yeah Davis, a lot to talk about here. So, thank you for your reporting.


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: abc; fakenews
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To: drewh

Shout out to Sean Hannity!


21 posted on 03/12/2017 12:16:34 PM PDT by Leep (Cyclops Network News (CNN). The Most Trusted Source Of Fake News.)
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To: dowcaet
"Talk about the MSM grasping for straws!"

That all that have left...straws, rumor, and innuendo.

22 posted on 03/12/2017 12:16:38 PM PDT by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway...John Wayne)
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To: drewh

“That bizarre standoff with a prominent federal prosecutor. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara “

They would like to see a judicial-type `standoff’ but no, he refused to resign and was fired.
Nothing `bizarre’ about that: you lost again, you dirty rats.


23 posted on 03/12/2017 12:18:41 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers, all armed conservatives)
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To: dowcaet
The dims build straw houses and straw men and they like grasping for them. Image result for straw man
24 posted on 03/12/2017 12:20:52 PM PDT by Leep (Cyclops Network News (CNN). The Most Trusted Source Of Fake News.)
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To: drewh
Apparently, they haven't been reading Free Republic; not surprising considering they're typical lazy "journalists." Firing ALL of the US attorneys appointed by 0bama was on numerous wish lists for what President Trump should do upon assuming office as far back as at least September 2016.

The push on this website to do exactly what Trump did on Friday has not let up since then. Hannity was late to the party, and as usual the Dinosaur media got the story wrong.

Let's also reiterate: he hasn't fired enough people yet. Large numbers of careerists still need to be removed at State, IRS, EPA, Interior, NASA, and the desk jockeys (not field people) in the various putative "intelligence" agencies. In addition, the cuts to the Federal bureaucracy need to involve reductions in force for non-politicals. And let us not leave out the swarm of morons in the Pentagon currently tasked with muslim outreach, LGBT "inclusiveness" and all manor or other silliness that degrades our ability to fight wars or project American power.

25 posted on 03/12/2017 12:22:55 PM PDT by FredZarguna (And what Rough Beast, its hour come 'round at last, slouches toward Fifth Avenue to be born?)
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To: gibsonguy

100% correct, and called for on this website since at 2016.


26 posted on 03/12/2017 12:24:02 PM PDT by FredZarguna (And what Rough Beast, its hour come 'round at last, slouches toward Fifth Avenue to be born?)
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To: Sasparilla

W didn’t do it. And then he got roasted later when he tried to fire three of them.


27 posted on 03/12/2017 12:24:04 PM PDT by ichabod1 (The Wise Cracker)
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To: Leep

LOL. Good one. The straw man is more symbolic of the Democrat Party than the jackass. On second thought, how about a straw man and a jackass together as their party symbols?


28 posted on 03/12/2017 12:24:22 PM PDT by dowcaet
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To: drewh

Cue the schadenfreude girl with the alligator tears...


29 posted on 03/12/2017 12:25:58 PM PDT by ichabod1 (The Wise Cracker)
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To: drewh

Well if so, keep talking Sean!


30 posted on 03/12/2017 12:33:16 PM PDT by bigbob (People say believe half of what you see son and none of what you hear - M. Gaye)
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To: drewh

Good. And Trump wouldn’t do a thing that the commies at ABC suggest.

Maybe ABC viewers instead need to watch Hannity to find out what Trump will do next.


31 posted on 03/12/2017 12:33:41 PM PDT by grumpygresh (When will Soros be brought to justice? Crush the vermin, crush the Left.)
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To: right way right

“The only thing I learned this week was that I could have been rich if only I had published a book of blank pages”

There can always be a Volume II or perhaps a best loved sayings of Chairman Obama.


32 posted on 03/12/2017 12:34:05 PM PDT by Clutch Martin (Hot sauce aside, every culture has its pancake, just as every culture has its noodle.)
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To: drewh

Fake news


33 posted on 03/12/2017 12:34:28 PM PDT by KSCITYBOY (The media is corrupt)
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To: drewh

I wish I could say I heard Hannity say this but I’ve not listened to him in years. He’s more condescending than most liberal talkers and makes EVERY story about himself. I’m sure he’s going to eat this up.


34 posted on 03/12/2017 12:35:11 PM PDT by raybbr (That progressive bumper sticker on your car might just as well say, "Yes, I'm THAT stupid!")
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To: dowcaet
Here you go. Kind of looks Mexican,too. Image result for straw jackass
35 posted on 03/12/2017 12:35:21 PM PDT by Leep (Cyclops Network News (CNN). The Most Trusted Source Of Fake News.)
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To: drewh

Note to Media: TRUMP does what he does just to drive you nuts and verify us deplorables why WE VOTED FOR HIM in the first place...I don’t care that you don’t get it..you never will but one by one he picks you off and we cheer...one day America will be free of the tyranny of the media!


36 posted on 03/12/2017 12:35:51 PM PDT by lexington minuteman 1775
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To: drewh
He missed the US Attorney in Oregon who is persecuting the BLM occupiers, but likely hasn't ever prosecuted any #BLMers nor Portland anarchists....

"U.S. Attorney Billy Williams on Friday said he's not among the 46 prosecutors whose resignations were requested by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

"Sessions' request applies to presidential appointees. But Williams wasn't appointed by President Barack Obama."

37 posted on 03/12/2017 12:39:43 PM PDT by Paladin2 (No spellcheck. It's too much work to undo the auto wrong word substitution on mobile devices.)
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To: drewh

Well, if that were the case, there would BENO Ophonybama appointees or “burrowed in” Civil Service Democrats still with federal jobs today!

[THAT WOULD BE A VERY GOOD THING!]

Praying that Trump finishes the job that Hannity has been urging him to do, and that he fires them tomorrow!


38 posted on 03/12/2017 12:41:28 PM PDT by Taxman
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To: Sasparilla

“Democrats are disgusting because the rules are ALWAYS different for them.”

And now Pelousey is saying that the RINO HC bill “needs to be read before it’s passed!” Actually, in a perverse way that’s true!


39 posted on 03/12/2017 12:51:48 PM PDT by vette6387
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To: drewh

GREAT. Thank you Sean. Now keep giving President Trump good advice, such as opposing RYNOcare, and supporting full repeal of Obamacare.

Keep advising the President to prosecute all the leakers and his other felonious enemies. Keep going. Don’t stop.


40 posted on 03/12/2017 1:04:26 PM PDT by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (The GOP will see the light, because Trump will make them feel the heat.it is hugh and series)
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