Several media outlets’ Twitter accounts repeated President Donald Trump’s false accusation that the House impeachment inquiry into his conduct is a “coup” against the American people without noting that it is inaccurate.
Mainstream media uncritically quote Trump’s false “coup” label for impeachment inquiry
Written by Zachary Pleat
Published
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) launched an impeachment inquiry on September 24 amid news reports that the president pressured the Ukrainian president to get dirt on a possible 2020 Democratic rival. On Monday, Trump sent two tweets in which he irresponsibly and falsely described the inquiry as “a COUP, intended to take away the Power of the People.”
Twitter accounts belonging to NBC’s Today show, NBC Politics, MSNBC’s 11th Hour, The Hill, and The Daily Beast repeated Trump’s false characterization of the House Democrats’ action without accurately informing their audiences that Trump is lying and that what the House is doing is completely within its constitutional powers.
Trump’s tweets came after his favorite conservative media figures used the same language.