John Oliver Lies About Portland Violence, Reporters Run to His Defense
'Mostly Peaceful' means fire, Molotov cocktails ... but don't tell the media that
Seth Meyers isn’t the only one telling the tallest of tales about Portland violence.
The far-left talker insists 60-plus days of riots in the city are, all together now, “mostly peaceful.” Eh, it’s just some graffiti and “light property damage,” the highly paid NBC talent told his viewers earlier in the week.
The latter evokes a tipped-over lamp, a shattered end table or framed art that fell to the ground and splintered.
Want the truth? Here it is:
For 2 months as rioters attacked federal officers & buildings in Portland, we called on local leaders to do their job & work with us to quell violence. Finally OR is stepping up. DHS surge forces will stay until we know our officers & facilities are safe. https://t.co/vbq3Vgo0AH
— Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) July 30, 2020
SUPERCUT:@RepJerryNadler thinks that violence from Antifa in Portland is a “myth.”
cc: @fleccas pic.twitter.com/YwFjnbUwoA
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 27, 2020
“Portland was left ‘looking like downtown Baghdad’ after violence erupted at protests and a homemade bomb exploded in a fireball outside a federal courthouse.” #PortlandRiots #antifa https://t.co/pWPUNdGBpe
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 28, 2020
Attorney General Barr on the violence in Portland:
“What unfolds nightly around the courthouse cannot reasonably be called protest. It is, by any objective measure, an assault on the government of the United States.” pic.twitter.com/22HAmFXoqc
— Trump War Room – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) July 28, 2020
Need more? Here’s what federal officers confiscated from the “protesters” recently outside the federal courthouse.
“Contraband such as gasoline, hockey sticks, defense shields, leaf blowers, paint sprayers, cans of paint, and a jar prepped for a Molotov cocktail have been confiscated by federal law enforcement from violent agitators outside the federal courthouse in Portland
John Oliver virtually locked arms with Meyers last weekend to pretend all of the above isn’t happening. Instead, the far-left Oliver attacked Fox News for the wrongful narrative that violence is engulfing parts of Portland.
Sean Hannity hit back hard against Oliver’s overt gaslighting, courtesy of “Jim Norton & Sam Roberts” show on SiriuxXM radio.
“Well, John Oliver, number one, he’s got a couple of problems,” Hannity began. “His big problem is he’s not funny. If you’re funny, I don’t care what you say….”
Hannity then went for the jugular, also known as reality.
“I don’t really expect John Oliver to know facts or truths, and I’m sure he’ll selectively pick out ‘well, these are the peaceful protestors,’ and ignore the rocks, the bottles, the bricks, the Molotov cocktails, the gunshots, the fireworks and everything else being hurled at officers around the country.”
So how did various media outlets cover Oliver’s gaslighting?
John Oliver Exposes Sean Hannity’s Lies About Portland Protesters – The far-left Daily Beast headline roared. The article in question even put the word “violence” in quotes, as if our own eyes cannot be trusted.
Spoiler alert: They can.
The Daily Beast uncritically shared more of Oliver’s spin:
“Protests had been mostly peaceful there… it’s about one block that was actually starting to see fewer confrontations between protesters and police before federal agents moved in.”
Left unsaid:
- Does Oliver support violence?
- Is violence the answer to societal woes?
- Should a city let its citizens attack government buildings without a response?
- Why aren’t local law enforcement in a liberal city doing their jobs?
- What about the businesses near the war zone? Do their livelihoods matter?
The far-left Deadline.com took a cutesy approach to the Hannity/Oliver skirmish. The site noted Hannity’s criticism of “Last Week Tonight” and its fact-challenged host.
Sean Hannity Has A Problem With John Oliver: Why So Serious?
The odd title evokes the classic Joker line from “The Dark Knight.” The rest of the article is neutral in tone, with the writer avoiding the obvious.
Who’s right? Is there unrelenting violence in Portland … or not? The site likely knows the answer and avoids sharing it with readers.
RELATED: Meet Today’s Liberal Late Night TV Hosts (Save One)
The Hollywood Reporter, as biased as its competition, at least repeated some of Hannity’s substantive attacks on Oliver’s credibility.
The new liberal talking point, embraced by late night comics and the corporate media, is that Trump’s troops made matters worse. Yes, riots that went on for weeks, and weeks, got worse when federal agents stepped in to protect government buildings at long last.
It’s like saying the Japanese fought harder against Allied forces during World War II after the U.S. reluctantly joined the war following attacked Pearl Harbor.