Conservative radio host Mark Levin expressed frustration with the Washington Post’s coverage of his wide-ranging interview with Attorney General William Barr over the weekend.
“Despite Barr’s claims, there have been no arrests or solid proof connecting antifa to violence at Black Lives Matter protests,” the Washington Post concluded in a piece titled “Barr slams Black Lives Matter, accuses the left of ‘tearing down the system.'”
“The far-right boogaloo movement, meanwhile, has been tied to a murder and several bomb plots aimed at escalating violence,” the report said, citing the news organization’s own in-house fact-checkers.
Levin called that characterization of the events that unfolded in the wake of George Floyd’s death “a shocking lie.”
“Not only is the evidence everywhere, but notice the Post doesn’t even attempt to find out for itself; instead, this reporter cites its paper’s fact-checker,” Levin said. “And the dismissive tone and journalistic disinterest in Antifa is truly outrageous. The media have demonstrated that they are all in with the violent Marxist movement in our country.”
3. This is a shocking lie. Not only is the evidence everywhere, but notice the Post doesn’t even attempt to find out for itself; instead, this reporter cites its paper’s fact-checker.
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) August 10, 2020
During the interview that aired Sunday night, Barr admonished congressional Democrats and members of the press corps for condoning rioting that has taken place in cities such as Portland and Seattle.
“They talk about the rule of law, they talk about the accordance of the federal legal system to protect civil rights, but the heart of that is our court system, and they’re not willing, not one of them piped up to say it’s not OK to be burning down federal courts,” Barr said. “Why? Some of them are true believers. Some of them are essentially revolutionary, and they may not believe in tearing down the system, but many of them are just cowards who are mostly interested in getting reelected and are afraid of a challenge from vote.”
President Trump and Barr have pinned widespread arson, looting, and other instances of rioting on “loosely organized far-left groups” or members of antifa.
“The memory of George Floyd is being dishonored by rioters, looters, and anarchists,” Trump said on May 30. “The violence and vandalism is being led by antifa and other radical left-wing groups who are terrorizing the innocent, destroying jobs, hurting businesses, and burning down buildings.”
Separately, Trump and his allies have criticized the Black Lives Matter movement, saying its leaders are promoting a “hateful message.”
Barr, echoing some of Trump’s defenders in conservative media such as Levin, said some outlets are not telling the full story of what is behind the civil unrest in some American cities this summer.
“Of course, the media doesn’t take footage of what’s happening,” Barr said. “They don’t take footage of the rocks being thrown.”
