Twenty-one U.S.-based newspapers were caught in a conspiracy by liberal activists to distort the news against President Donald Trump and his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
The newspapers each published a nearly identical opinion piece attacking Trump’s pick, with only minor changes — including the author’s name — in each piece, to make the letters look more authentic.
That’s according to The Daily Mail, who first exposed the scandal Sunday.
“At least 21 papers were duped last week, including big-market brands like the Dallas Morning News and The Washington Times,” The Daily Mail reported. “They ran identical letters over a four-day period, each signed by a different person.”
The letter read:
Brett Kavanaugh is the wrong choice to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. If he is confirmed to the Supreme Court, everything that we hold dear as a nation will be at stake. From protecting a woman’s right to choose to dismantling The Affordable Care Act, Judge Kavanaugh could be the swing vote that takes away our rights. His lifetime appointment would also mean he could also cement the Citizens United decision for decades, giving corporate special interests and mega-donors with extreme agendas even more influence in our democracy. It’s time to take the for-sale sign off our democracy. The Senate should not vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
The tactic is known as “astroturfing” and is being employed by liberal activists in order to trick swing voters into thinking there’s widespread, grassroots opposition to Kavanaugh.
In other words, the very letter that complains about secretive, dark money spending… was bought and paid for by secret, liberal dark money.
Richard Lodge, editor of The Eagle-Tribune, told The Daily Mail flatly: “I got duped, which is embarrassing and frustrating.”
The following newspapers were tricked —
- The Washington Times (DC)
- The Boston Herald (MA)
- The Columbus Dispatch (OH)
- Dallas Morning News (TX)
- San Antonio Express-News (TX)
- The Grand Junction Sentinel (CO)
- The Wilmington News Journal (DE)
- Coeur d’Alene Press (ID)
- The Forum (Fargo, ND)
- The Beaumont Enterprise (TX)
- Santa Monica Daily Press (CA)
- The Union Democrat (Sonora, CA)
- Daily News (Newburyport, MA)
- The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, MA)
- Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, MA)
- The Times Herald-Record (Middletown, NY)
- Daily Reflector (Greenville, NC)
- The Express Times (Easton, PA)
- Republican Herald (Pottsville, PA)
- The Herald-Zeitung (Brownsville, TX)
- Martinsville Bulletin (VA)
Shameful.
— The Horn editorial team