Debra Messing says Republicans 'still defend the Nazis' from Charlottesville rally in reaction to hate hoax targeting Glenn Youngkin



Actress Debra Messing attempted to draw a parallel to the hate hoax carried out by alleged Democratic activists against Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin on Friday to the white supremacist "Unite the Right" rally that took place in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. The actress turned Democrat activist reacted to the bizarre political stunt by claiming that "Republicans still defend the Nazis" from the Charlottesville rally.

A political scheme with a mission to embarrass Youngkin and hurt his election prospects was executed on Friday. Alleged Democratic activists were planted in front of Youngkin's campaign bus. The four men and one woman wore khakis and white button-down shirts while holding tiki torches – the same aesthetic that white supremacists had during the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 11, 2017. Anti-Trump group the Lincoln Project took credit for the race hoax – but only after reports that the alleged white supremacists were Democratic activists.

These men approached @GlennYoungkin’s bus as it pulled up saying what sounded like, “We’re all in for Glenn.” Here… https://t.co/MwHz1ix5ud

— Elizabeth Holmes (@holmes_reports) 1635518197.0

Several Democrats tripped over themselves to attack Youngkin over the stunt that appears to have used Democrat activists posing as white supremacists – including Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwellof California and members of McAuliffe's campaign team.

WCTI-TV reported on McAuliffe campaign members who pushed the hate hoax before deleting tweets.

McAuliffe's spokesperson Christina Freundlich retweeted a post from the local reporter who covered the incident. Freundlich said in her retweet that "The Unite the Right rally was one of the darkest days in the Commonwealth's history. this is who Glenn Youngkin's supporters are."

"This is disgusting and disqualifying," said Jenifer Goodman, a communications staffer for McAuliffe, in another retweet of the local Virginia reporter's initial coverage of the incident. Both tweets have since been deleted.

Charlie Olaf – McAuliffe's social-media manager – also treated the race hoax as a real white supremacy demonstration by writing on Twitter, "Disgusting reference to the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville."

Do you see how casually Democratic operatives play with racism and race accusations, like it's their little private… https://t.co/HXcJZhO6zF

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) 1635545414.0

Messing alleges that she did not fall for the race hoax, but she did use the political stunt to make an unsubstantiated attack on Republicans.

"Oh I didn't fall for it, nor do I approve of it, but the POINT is Republicans still defend the Nazis with tiki torches at #Charlottesville, & now there is faux outrage bc they don't want voters reminded of their most loyal ( and welcomed) supporters," Messing tweeted on Friday.

Following the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, every major Republican denounced the hateful demonstration – including, but not limited to, then-President Donald Trump, then-Vice President Mike Pence, then-Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, then-House majority leader Kevin McCarthy, former Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, and then-White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

Messing continued to utilize the Lincoln Project chicanery to link Youngkin to the Charlottesville Nazis from 2017.

"Interesting. The reminder that @GlennYoungkin tacitly approved of the #Charlottesville Nazis is making more people outraged than the actual Nazis," the former "Will & Grace" actress said.

Interesting. The reminder that @GlennYoungkin tacitly approved of the #Charlottesville Nazis is making more people… https://t.co/lqwhmlz12a

— Debra Messing✍🏻 (@DebraMessing) 1635545638.0

Messing did appear to fall for a tongue-in-cheek article from the satirical website Babylon Bee.

Messing shared a Babylon Bee article with the headline: "KKK Member Posing By Glenn Youngkin's Bus Turns Out To Be Ralph Northam," a reference to the allegations that the Democratic governor of Virginia was dressed in racist costumes featured in his 1984 medical school yearbook.

Messing retweeted the fake article with the caption: "Wait WHAT???"

Wait WHAT??? https://t.co/zoWjAXJGN5

— Debra Messing✍🏻 (@DebraMessing) 1635546170.0

Glenn Greenwald calls out Democrats for 'absolute lie' about Pulse Nightclub massacre



Journalist Glenn Greenwald called out Democratic senators on Saturday who he said were spreading an "absolute lie" about the tragic Pulse Nightclub massacre in Orlando, Florida, that killed 49 people in June 2016.

What are Democrats saying?

To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, which came on Saturday during Pride Month, Democratic senators posted messages to social media claiming the victims of the Pulse Nightclub massacre were targeted because of their sexual orientation.

  • Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.): "5 years ago, we lost 49 people in a deadly, hate-filled shooting at the Pulse nightclub. The LGBTQ+ community was targeted and killed—all because they dared to live their lives.Once again I say: hate has no place here. And we must end the gun violence epidemic."
  • Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.): "Today we #RememberPulse. 49 lives lost to senseless gun violence and anti-LGBTQ hate. A tragedy that is still hard to comprehend.But tomorrow, with Pulse always in our minds, we continue the fight to end gun violence and hatred. We will not rest until we do."
  • Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.): "5 years ago we lost 49 beautiful souls at Pulse nightclub. I continue to hold in my heart those who were killed, their loved ones & the survivors of this unspeakable act of hate toward the #LGBTQ+ community. We must #EndGunViolence & build a nation based on love for each other."

What did Greenwald say?

Greenwald called out the senators for misrepresenting the motive behind the Pulse Nightclub massacre. It was not, in fact, anti-LGBT animus, but the perpetrator was a terrorist who sworn allegiance to the Islamic State and chosen Pulse Nightclub at random.

"Democratic Senators and activist groups promoting a false, conclusively disproven narrative about the Pulse shootings for their own benefits. Anti-LGBT animus was not part of that massacre. It dishonors the memory of the victims — & the LGBT cause — to lie about what happened," Greenwald said.

Democratic Senators and activist groups promoting a false, conclusively disproven narrative about the Pulse shootin… https://t.co/fOfovvT2CO
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) 1623520877.0

He then called out Duckworth, specifically.

"This tweet is an absolute lie. Every journalist who covered the PULSE shootings and trial will tell you this. It's infuriating to watch Senators blatantly lie this way," Greenwald said. "[The killer] had no idea PULSE was a gay club. He spent the prior day looking at Disney locations, but they were too secured. He entered 'Club, Orlando' in Google — not 'gay club' — to find it. He never uttered an anti-LGBT syllable, saying his motive was US bombing in Iraq/Syria."

"Even NBC News has acknowledged that the PULSE massacre was not motivated by anti-LGBT sentiment. Their article is definitive as it should be. The evidence leaves no doubt. There's no excuse for Senators and LGBT groups perpetuating this lie," Greenwald continued, linking to NBC News' story about the massacre.

The NBC News story explained:

[D]uring the trial of [the killer's] widow, Noor Salman, all forensic evidence suggested that up until the moment he turned into the Pulse parking lot, [the killer] had been considering other venues, rejecting them because they were more heavily guarded. In their closing statement, government prosecutors admitted that there was no evidence to suggest that [the killer] knew that Pulse was a gay club.

Indeed, during the massacre, the killer phoned 911 and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, solidifying what prosecutors said was the real motive behind the crime.

Brian Stelter serves up softball question to Jen Psaki, interview slammed as being 'propaganda' and 'bootlicking'



CNN host Brian Stelter was ridiculed online for a softball question to White House press secretary Jen Psaki that some labeled as "propaganda" and bootlicking."

During CNN's "Reliable Sources" talk show that aired on Sunday, Stelter asked Psaki, "What does the press get wrong when covering Biden's agenda? When you watch the news, when you read the news, what do you think we get wrong?"

Psaki responded to the unchallenging question, "Look, I think some of our muscles have atrophied a little bit over the last few years, and there isn't a lot of recent memory on how long it takes to get legislation forward, or how messy the process of negotiating and the process of getting legislation across the finish line can be."

Brian Stelter asks White House press secretary Jen Psaki about the media's coverage of Joe Biden:"What does the p… https://t.co/ULt7hPjW6i

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) 1622996040.0

The amicable and favorable question by the friendly press was slammed on Twitter.

Newsbusters news analyst Nicholas Fondacaro said Stelter was "bootlicking."

Conservative blogger Erik Soderstrom sounded off, "What a subservient, obsequious question for anyone in media to be earnestly asking the President's mouthpiece. @brianstelter can't wait to grovel before Democrats when he wakes up in the morning."

Senior editor at The Federalist Mollie Hemingway tweeted, "Our corrupt media are absolutely nothing more than propagandists and should be treated as such."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's former grassroots director, Nicholas Sandmann, noted, "Media during Trump couldn't say enough about how wrong everything he did was. Media under Biden can't think of anything to even question in his administration."

New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz referred to the time the press asked President Joe Biden about his milkshake, "Missed opportunity to get Jen's favorite ice cream flavor."

Conservative commentator Stephen L. Miller mocked Stelter by saying, "'How can we do a better job of sucking up to you?'"

"The News and Why It Matters" host Sara Gonzales mocked Stelter's lack of journalistic integrity with a meme from "The Simpsons."

@DailyCaller @PressSec https://t.co/FbyCnG5UzY

— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) 1622999670.0

Also from the same fawning interview, Stelter attempted to bond with Psaki based on them both being parents of young children, asking her if she fears for their children when they grow up considering the "craziness we're seeing from the GOP." Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald lampooned Stelter's "sycophantic" interview.

Two actual questions from a CNN host to the spokesperson for the planet's "most powerful politician":* Tell us wh… https://t.co/x33sYhXZcw

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) 1623004363.0

Stelter then claimed that "a lot of liberals don't think Fox should be called on" during White House press conferences, and asked, "So why do you call on Fox News and Newsmax?"

Stelter also asked what Psaki learned from previously being a commentator for CNN, and how that helps her in her current job as White House press secretary.

And later on in the gushing interview, Stelter asked Psaki about how her time as a CNN commentator helped her do he… https://t.co/2tfX4d8CMK

— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) 1622997172.0

Stelter may have hinted that Psaki shouldn't be taking questions from Fox News since it is CNN's competition, but recently Stelter has been taking a beating in the ratings. In the first week of May, Stelter's "Reliable Sources" talk show suffered its lowest ratings of the year, averaging only 810,000 total viewers for the May 2 episode.

"Reliable Sources" is down 53% in viewership since January.