The Trump campaign has sent a blacklist memo to TV networks warning them away from Democrats who are “lying to the American people” about false claims of collusion with Russia.
The memo, titled “Credibility of Certain Guests,” urges TV producers not to do business with Democrats such as House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of California, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York, Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, former CIA Director John O. Brennan, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez.
In a tweet Tuesday, President Trump said the burden falls on the media.
“For two years they pushed the Russian Collusion Delusion when they always knew there was No Collusion,” Mr. Trump tweeted. “They truly are the Enemy of the People and the Real Opposition Party!”
His top White House advisers have said the media owes the nation an apology.
The campaign’s memo asks network news producers to reconsider whether these Democrats and others “warrant further appearances on your programming given the outrageous and unsupported claims made in the past.”
The campaign called this group of frequent talking heads “Democrat leaders and others [who are] lying to the American people by vigorously and repeatedly claiming there was evidence of collusion.”
Mr. Brennan, one of the president’s fiercest critics, said Monday on MSNBC, “I don’t know if I received bad information, but I think I suspected there was more than there actually was.”
Mr. Swalwell responded on Twitter, calling Mr. Trump a liar.
“The only person who has been caught lying about Russia is Donald Trump. If he thinks I’ve made a false statement, he can sue me. And I’ll beat him in court,” he said.
The campaign memo came after Attorney General William P. Barr told Congress that special counsel Robert Mueller didn’t find any evidence of collusion after a two-year investigation.
“There must be introspection from the media who facilitated the reckless statement and a serious evaluation of how guests are considered and handled in the future,” the memo states, arguing that the Democrats “made many of these false claims, without evidence, on your airwaves.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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