Old news often retains its relevance when the establishment increases its level of aggression toward its latest target.
For instance, in a clip posted to the social media platform X in September 2023, Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the former House Speaker, described the exact method — she called it a “wrap-up smear” — by which the establishment media colludes with Democrats and establishment Republicans to destroy the character of anyone deemed a threat to the system.
Given the date, of course, Pelosi was not specifically addressing the recent attacks against defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth.
Still, one could not mistake the pattern she was describing, apparently to a group of journalists.
“You smear somebody with falsehoods and all the rest. And then you merchandise it. And then [journalists] write it, and they’ll say, ‘See? It’s reported in the press that this, this, this and this.’ So they have that validation that the press reported the smear, and then it’s called the wrap-up smear,” Pelosi said.
“Now I am going to merchandise the press’s report on the smear that we made. It’s a tactic,” she added.
Never forget when Nancy Pelosi revealed the Democrat Party’s entire playbook:
‘The Wrap Up Smear’
“You smear somebody with falsehoods and all the rest and then you merchandise it and then you write it and they’ll say, see, it’s reported in the press that this, this, this and… pic.twitter.com/k5Mup1hRzj
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 14, 2023
Needless to say, Pelosi intended those comments as an accusation, not an admission of guilt.
Will Pete Hegseth ultimately be confirmed?
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As conservative journalist Tucker Carlson has often said, however, leftists accuse their opponents of doing what they actually do.
“They say precisely the opposite of what they mean every time. They accuse you of the crimes they themselves are committing,” Carlson said in a clip posted to X in July 2020.
Tucker Carlson Exposing The Left’s Strategy To Take Power
“Their first instinct is to manipulate rather than persuade. They hide their real beliefs. They say precisely the opposite of what they mean every time. They accuse you of the crimes they themselves are committing.” pic.twitter.com/KZMd4NkXSB
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) July 31, 2020
Last month, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Hegseth, a decorated veteran and political outsider, to serve as secretary of defense.
True to form, establishment politicians denounced Hegseth as unqualified. In other words, he owed no favors to donors and lobbyists, which made him impossible to control.
Thus, the establishment turned to the wrap-up smear.
Earlier this week, for instance, NBC published a hit piece in which 10 current and former Fox News employees, all speaking anonymously, expressed concerns about what they described as Hegseth’s drinking problem — a smear so shameless and cowardly that many of Hegseth’s other former colleagues went on the record to refute it.
As Pelosi explained, however, the hit piece only works if it gives establishment senators “validation” when they vote against Hegseth.
We see how the game works, and we thank the former speaker for laying it out with such clarity.
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