Flashback: WSJ Article that Forced Comey to Reopen Investigation into Clinton’s Emails

Andrew McCabe and the $675,000 Bribe Not to Investigate Clinton

In the following radio interview, Canadian researcher Michel Chossudovsky discusses an article he posted in Global Research on Novermber 2, 2016. In it he discusses the  $675,000 donation (ie bribe) Clinton ally Terry McAuliffe  donated to the state senate campaign of Jill McCabe, the wife of a top FBI official (Andrew McCabe). Subsequently McCable, conveniently promoted to deputy  director,  oversaw the FBI investigation into Clinton’s secret email server.

When McCabe cleared Clinton of wrongdoing, FBI Director James Comey was willing to let the decision stand until an expose in the Wall Street Journal disclosed the secret $675,000 campaign donation/bribe (which McCabe neglected to disclose on her electoral return). Eleven days prior to the 2016 election, Comey announced he was reopening the investigation.

In this Guns and Butter interview, Chossudovsky officers a fascinating analysis of what he believes is a split in the US military-intelligence complex between the neocons who support Clinton’s agenda of war against Syria, Iran and Russia and military/intelligence dissidents who are gravely concerned about Clinton’s criminal past and her potential to recklessly launch full blown nuclear war.

According to Chossudovsky, the neocons continue to rely on the traditional CIA-controlled media outlets (CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, ABC etc), while intelligence dissidents tend to speak through Rupert Murdoch’s media outlets (Wall Street Journal, Fox News, New York Post, Daily Mail) to promote a pro-Trump, anti-neocon perspective.

Chossudovsky also discusses Wikileaks’ role in this divide. At the moment, Wikileaks is mainly publishing emails and documents leaked by pro-Trump military/intelligence officials. Chossudovsky believes this represents a deliberate decision by Julian Assange.

Although this interview is over a year old, it serves to remind us that most of the current media frenzy (the Putin-bashing, Russiagate, impeachment threats) being played is actually a war between competing intelligence factions and has virtually nothing to do with the interests of ordinary Americans.

Read Chossudovsky’s full article here:

Hillary Clinton: Wall Street’s Losing Horse? Constitutional Crisis? What’s the End Game?

Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism

Robert Greenwald (2004)

Film Review

Outfoxed makes the case that media mogul Rupert Murdoch is first and foremost a politician – that he uses Fox News and his vast media monopoly* to promote conservative politicians who protect his financial interests. As evidence, it provides dozens of Fox News broadcast clips, samples of Roger Ailes’ daily editorial memos, and interviews with former Fox producers, reporters and commentators.

Murdoch used 21st Century Fox and the six TV stations owned by Metromedia he acquired in 1986 to form the Fox Broadcasting Company. In 1996, he entered the cable news market, hiring Roger Ailes to set up and run the Fox News Channel, a 24-hour cable news stations.

The former reporters and producers featured in the documentary talk at length about Ailes’ daily memos about topics they were required to cover (and avoid) and the spin he expected. Murdoch has a special hatred for the Kennedys, Bill Clinton, anti-war movie stars and Jesse Jackson and Fox employees were expected to invent opportunities to demonize them. The memos they received also heavily emphasized terrorism, fear of terrorism and divisive wedge issues, such as abortion, gay rights and religion, especially in election years. The intention was to distract US voters from issues, like the economy, that were problematic for Republicans.

Reporters and producers who failed to follow Ailes’ directives would be chewed out, demoted or fired. Commentators who failed to follow Murdoch’s party line would have their contracts canceled.

Election and War Coverage

Outfoxed devotes special attention to the biased coverage of the 2000 and 2004 election campaigns and the War in Iraq. In their vicious demonization of John Kerry in 2004, Fox News engaged in a deliberate attack campaign more typical of a political party.

The Fox Effect

Filmmaker Robert Greenwald also examines the effect Fox News has on other TV networks when they feel pressured to report Fox-initiated propaganda as news. The rumor that John Kerry looked and acted French – a pure Fox News invention – is a case in point. Likewise in 2000, ABC, NBC and CBS all declared Bush the winner at 2 am on election night, immediately after the Fox analyst (Bush’s first cousin) did so. Only Associated Press reported, correctly, that the Florida race was too close to call.

The Internet Effect

Produced ten years ago, the film’s call to action – lobbying the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – is totally obsolete. Greenwald had no way of predicted the social media revolution or its negative effect on traditional media. Young people no longer rely on TV for news and information. Young Americans (age 25-54) particularly avoid Fox News – there’s no way a network catering to an older male Republican base can possibly address the issues that concern them. This is reflected in a steady decline in Fox News ratings over the last five years.

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*In addition to Fox Networks, Rupert Murdoch owns Harper Collins, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the British Sun, Times and Sky Television, five regional US newspapers and more than 100 national and regional Australian newspapers.