In the latest example of why millions of people are misinformed about current events, Fox News has decided to prominently feature an opinion piece that is 100% based on a lie. Yesterday it was the #1 trending story on Fox News. I want to call attention to it, because some people are already regurgitating it back to me.
The lie is that former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was framed. That he didn't really lie to the FBI; that they set him up and he pleaded guilty because they threatened to go after his son. Flynn's own lawyers laughably argued in a court filing that he should have been reminded that it's a crime to lie to the FBI. I hope the judge sentences him to at least some jail time for that stunt.
How bad is the lie? The phone calls Flynn lied about (over his contacts with Russia) were actually recorded. Even Devin Nunes has admitted that. The first FBI agent to interview him indeed said he didn't detect he was lying, but they obtained the actual transcripts of the calls and they knew he was lying. The argument Fox seems to be going after here is that since he didn't really lie, any information he gave to investigators was fraudulently obtained. (Someone tried to use this “poisonous fruits” argument on me yesterday).
Millions of Americans are being gaslighted by Fox News. As 2019 unfolds, expect them to push increasingly desperate conspiracy theories in order to get Trump off the hook. If you know people who live inside that Fox News bubble, encourage them to step outside occasionally and get some news elsewhere.