Media top headlines May 25
A Facebook whistleblower alleging that the tech company censors 'vaccine hesitancy' and more round out today's top media headlines
Huffington Post White House correspondent S.V. Dáte added his name to a growing list of self-styled journalists and other public figures who seem to believe the January 6 Capitol riot was on par with or worse than the September 11 jihadist attacks.
"The 9/11 terrorists and Osama bin Laden never threatened the heart of the American experiment," Dáte tweeted. "The 1/6 terrorists and Donald Trump absolutely did exactly that. Trump continues that effort today."
When asked if Jan. 6 was worse than the United 93 flight intended by its jihadist hijackers to crash into the Capitol, he tweeted that the riot was "1000 percent worse."
Dáte's tweets invited colorful backlash. "Delete your account," America First Policy Institute's Kaelan Dorr suggested.
"Moronic," tweeted American Majority CEO Ned Ryun.
Several others referenced Dáte's anti-Trump book, "The Useful Idiot," as a more appropriate title for its author.
RON JOHNSON: HOUSE'S 9/11-STYLE COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE JAN. 6 RIOT KEEPS ‘FALSE NARRATIVE’ ALIVE
In separate tweets, Dáte doubled down.
"This attempt to whitewash what happened that day is shameful," he added. "9/11 was an act of war done by foreigners. 1/6 was an attack on our republic — an attempt to END OUR DEMOCRACY — committed by supposed Americans, including the sitting president."
That didn't sit well with folks like actor Nick Searcy, who ripped Dáte as a "leftist propagandist."
But Dáte's opinion is just another shared by other figures in media and the public square.
Late-night host Stephen Colbert made a similar comparison in his January 19 monologue.
"A lot of people have said to me since, ‘What about 9/11, Stephen?’" he said. "Well yeah, that is the most horrible day in America’s history, but I want to point out no Americans were cheering for the terrorists back then. No one was making excuses for the terrorists, no one was pretending that they weren’t terrorists."
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Some lawmakers have made the comparison as well, such as New York lawmaker John C. Liu, D-Queens. Liu tweeted on the day of the Capitol riots, "Seeing the Twin Towers crumble is no longer the most frightening moment of my life."
Liu later said he meant no "disrespect," but did not delete the original tweet.
Last week, the House of Representatives passed legislation to form an independent commission to investigate the January riot and make recommendations for preventing similar attacks. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is one of many Republicans who have dismissed the commission as an attempt to demonize all Trump supporters.
"So this is all about a narrative that paints Donald Trump's supporters as threats to this nation," Johnson said on Fox News's "Tucker Carlson Tonight" this week.
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