Yahoo Movies GOP Rep Claims Without Irony That No President Has Attacked Press More Than Biden
Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) asked a rhetorical question on Twitter Tuesday that trumped all logic.
The Indiana Republican attempted to shame President Joe Biden after a hot mic captured him referring to Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy as “a stupid son of a bitch.”
The president later reached out to Doocy to clear the air, but that wasn’t enough to stop Banks from posting this hyperbolic pearl-clutching tweet: “Have we ever seen a President attack and malign the free press like Joe Biden has??”
Have we ever seen a President attack and malign the free press like Joe Biden has??
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) January 24, 2022
Considering that former President Donald Trump attacked journalists many times, including calling them the “enemy of the people,” many people wondered if Banks was serious or just seriously trolling.
You don't have to be a troll. You have a real job, you know.
Unless, of course, you want to say that you asked this question sincerely, which would be a far more damning admission than owning up to trollishness.— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) January 25, 2022
Others answered Banks’ leading question ― and they brought receipts.
Yes, yes we have… https://t.co/vWPQkMAQdwpic.twitter.com/Mc3GbCqWgI
— Guy Norman Bee (@guynormanbee) January 25, 2022
We were literally called “the enemy of the people” by the former President, and thanks to that, one of his fans ran up to me and yelled “You are ISIS!” just because I was wearing a CNN hoodie. So, yeah delete your whole account, Jim! https://t.co/NmOldT5i5u
— Andrea Diaz (@Drea__Diaz) January 25, 2022
“These people should be executed. They are scumbags. … They are truly the enemy of the people.” — Donald J. Trump on journalists.
Biden calling someone a “son of a bitch” pales in comparison to the absurd and dangerous rhetoric Trump spewed. https://t.co/i9WEAJyOaa— Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch) January 25, 2022
Some had questions for Banks.
You mean as, say, the “enemies of the people?” After which a gunman entered a newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland and murdered five people? I have a vague memory of that happening, yes. https://t.co/Vq5ihcFaGs
— David Simon (@AoDespair) January 25, 2022
Were you in a coma during the Trump presidency? https://t.co/tkDhC9oMnP
— Michael Hinkelman (@MHinkelman) January 25, 2022
Others just piled on the mockery.
Tell us you’re a disingenuous hypocrite without telling us you’re a disingenuous hypocrite. https://t.co/i8AkhOti2I
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) January 25, 2022
Alexa, show me someone who can throw himself on the ground and miss. https://t.co/c2Sh5f6jlo
— Ray 鄺羡華 (@raykwong) January 25, 2022
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
