Frustrated by coverage of the 2016 presidential race, the Republican National Committee is charging that the media is “in love with Hillary Clinton” and stirring up the GOP race to “let Hillary slip into the White House.”
In a full assault on the “mainstream media,” Chairman Reince Priebus in an email to supporters said the press is ignoring concerns about Clinton in its focus on the GOP fight.
“The mainstream media will do everything in their power to destroy our nominee for president. Can you imagine if it were one of our candidates under investigation by the FBI? He’d be attacked 24/7,” said the email fundraising memo.
It included a 30-question “Mainstream Media Accountability Survey” of how Republicans get their news — Drudge Report, Breitbart, Red Alert Politics — and how they feel the press is covering the race.
Priebus said that he often faces an unbiased media in interviews. “All too often I am asked about a ‘poll’ put out by a liberal organization claiming to show the American people are against the conservative values you and I hold dear,” he said.
Armed with his own survey results, he added, “the next time I’m being interviewed, I will have my own poll to point to that truly represents where voters stand on critical issues.”
Priebus said he is building a GOP fact-checking operation to challenge the media.
“Let’s face it: Hillary controls the press,” he said, adding, “We’re rolling out an aggressive fact-checking, rapid response strategy on both TV and social media to stop her.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
