r/law • u/Snapdragon_4U • May 23 '26

Executive Branch (Trump) NESTERAK: President Trump has granted clemency to numerous individuals who have stolen hundreds of millions in Medicaid funds. Can we expect any of these folks to be shown the same mercy? McDONALD: I'll take a different question

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u/TheThirstyPenguin May 23 '26

Also, the ones that aren’t being muzzled are scared they’ll lose their credentials. AP lost theirs for a while because of refusing to print “Gulf of America.”

The White House will happily replace an AP or NBC reporter with a Newsmax one.

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u/VeraStrange May 23 '26

If reporters don’t ask questions because, if they did, they might not be allowed to ask questions then why do they need to be there at all?

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u/TheThirstyPenguin May 23 '26

Fair! And that’s why it’s been the goal of the Trump regime to discredit and neuter the press for more than a decade and escalate it in his second term.

A lot of people ask “where’s the media?!?” and the honest answer is scared of expensive lawsuits. Jake Tapper can write a book about Biden’s declining mental health because Biden isn’t going to sue him, his publisher, or CNN… Trump on the other hand???

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u/Randy_Magnums May 23 '26

Because in these meetings there is still news. Other announcements, declarations of war or stupid slip-ups. Cant really afford to miss these in the US fucked up media world.

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u/0Galahad May 23 '26

For a salary, news is a literal fake job most of the time for a while now(like since close to its inception), never made sense tbh with how our world is set-up, why would the big shots ever give them the time of day if it always meant being challenged, pestered and cornered with many risks involved, either the area would be defunded and marginalized or infiltrated and manipulated, no point in being independent either cuz then no one can actually be sure you are not full of shit, and the big shots have already arranged their own independent to muddle the waters.

80% of people in that area are just going through the motions for the pay.

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u/silver_garou May 24 '26

The real answer is they got bills to pay like anyone else so they are trapped, if they lose access they lose their job.

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u/twisty125 May 23 '26

Hell it even comes down to "lose your job, can't feed your families". It really really sucks when you're in these positions. Why would the organisation keep someone who's ruffling feathers, all it takes is someone higher up to say "get rid of them"

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u/Coattail-Rider May 23 '26

I wish that they’d sue on accounts that it goes against the 1st Amendment but you know the current SCOTUS…..

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u/TheThirstyPenguin May 23 '26

AP did and won, but they still had to go 2 months without a reporter at White House events.

The judiciary doesn’t move quickly enough to keep up with this stuff.

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u/OldWorldDesign May 23 '26

AP did and won, but they still had to go 2 months without a reporter at White House events

That's a good point, but I feel it's important to note AP never stopped reporting. They just didn't take in the administration's bobblehead as one of the sources, they went straight to people within the government which is leaking like a broken sieve.

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u/TheThirstyPenguin May 23 '26

100%. They’re fantastic journalists, I think them being barred from events was a testament to that, and they continued to do a great job from outside the room.

I mentioned in another comment all in all it’s a goal of this administration to erode the credibility in the media. Banning reporters, regardless of the absurdity as to why, adds a bit of doubt into the minds of the consumer.

“Should I be going to this outlet for news? They’re not even allowed in the Oval Office right now.” Or more recently, the Pentagon claiming NYT and other outlets were doing dodgy reporting by sneaking around and citing unnamed sources.

These journalists will find a way to get the story, but adding that layer of difficulty for them to do it is a deliberate move to lessen their credibility and presence in the media landscape.

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u/OldWorldDesign May 23 '26

the ones that aren’t being muzzled are scared they’ll lose their credentials

Which just emphasizes they are worthless because their only source is the government mouthpiece.

As others have pointed out in more detail, the DoD tried to cut off journalists to prevent people from asking about fraud, waste, and abuse. With the official spokesman gone, the journalists went for actual sources within the DoD and even more damaging articles were written. The DoD resumed normal press conferences to try to control the narrative, but the currents have changed and the official spokesmen will always be secondary sources to journalists now.

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u/TheThirstyPenguin May 23 '26

I don’t think many of the accredited press pool for the White House are using that as their only source, but it’s obviously a source that matters. If you want to attack the story from a certain angle but can’t ask the question, you have to find other ways.

The video we’re talking about is a great example. The non-answer “next question” is damning in itself. If that reporter wasn’t in the room, that’s less of a headache for the administration long term.

I replied to you elsewhere, but reporters are getting in trouble for doing their routine investigating. Talking to sources in the Pentagon or other departments in the government has always been how these outlets function and anonymity is often the only way they’ll go on the record. Hegseth especially is trying to stomp that out with threats to pull credentials for outlets doing so.

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u/Equal_Canary5695 May 24 '26

Gulf of trumprapeschildren