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Media Still Asking About ISIS-Aligned Orlando Terrorist’s Motive

By Michael Graham

On the Monday after the Orlando terror attack, CNN.com’s news homepage looked like this:


“Orlando massacre: What motivated a killer?” CNN asked. It turned out the answer was already available at… CNN.com?

[The terrorist] called dispatchers about 20 minutes into the attack, pledging allegiance to ISIS and mentioning the Boston Marathon bombers, a U.S. official said…. He first came on the FBI’s radar in 2013 when he made “inflammatory comments to co-workers alleging possible terrorist ties,” Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ronald Hopper said. But investigators “were unable to verify the substance of his comments,” he said. In 2014, the FBI interviewed him again over possible connections with Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, a Florida man who became the first known American suicide bomber in Syria. The men frequented the same mosque. “There are strong indications of radicalization by this killer and of potential inspiration by foreign terrorist organizations,” FBI Director James Comey said.

CNN had reported all this before publishing this headline. And they weren’t alone. Late Monday afternoon Yahoo News posted this:


At the same time, NBC was reporting (emphasis added):

Amid an ongoing investigation into a possible motive, Orlando Police Chief John Mina gave more details Monday on the run-up to the SWAT raid that ended the crisis.

And Rolling Stone contributor Jamie Boice added (emphasis added again):

In the fog, we search for a motive — and rightly so. It matters that Omar Mateen had reportedly been outraged by two men kissing before he killed 50 people at a gay club, for instance. But the next question we need to ask in the wake of these shootings, after why did they do it, is why did it happen?

“Fog?” What “fog?” The dad who “reported” his son’s anti-gay outrage literally hosts a pro-Taliban TV show. The killer himself touted an Islamist worldview regarding women, gays, infidels, etc., to friends and co-workers—not to mention calling the actual police to air those views.

Other than wearing an “I’m With ISIS, Stupid” t-shirt, what more could this killer do to make his motive more clear?

Bill Kristol has already pointed out that the political fallout of Orlando’s horrific attack will likely be a surge in support for Donald Trump and “strength,” largely thanks to President Obama’s PC-driven weakness. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton squirms in discomfort when forced to admit an Islamist element, before quickly pivoting to her “assault on guns” rhetoric.

The more the media pretend the Orlando terrorist’s motives are unknowable, the more they feed the “Are you freakin’ kidding me?” frustration that’s driving more Americans toward Trump.

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