Never before have we had a president who demonstrates so transparently his view that influencing the media narrative is a central part of his job description. And it makes sense for someone who puts the furthering of his ideological agenda above all else, including the well-being of this republic and its citizens. What better way to get what you want politically than to convince the public of your own “reality”?
In the case of Orlando, however, nobody is buying what Obama is selling. Fortunately, most lack the athleticism required to perform the complex mental gymnastics needed to believe that Omar Mateen’s massacre somehow has to do with the Republican Party or Christian right in any way imaginable.
Our politicians are obviously free to influence public dialogue, but with regard to the Orlando issue, they’re attempting to change reality. The Department of Justice and FBI initially released the transcripts of the 911 calls Mateen made during the massacre, scrubbing references to ISIS and Allah, only to then release the unedited (but incomplete) transcripts after public outcry.
Thanks to Obama, journalists looking to uncover any new information about the massacre that hasn’t been made public are out of luck.
The Daily Caller reports: While Attorney General Loretta Lynch holds firm to her claim that the motive of Orlando terrorist Omar Mateen may never be known, the FBI is instructing Florida agencies that responded to the attack that night to deny requests for public records pertaining to the case.
Mateen called police several times during the three hour ordeal to declare his allegiance to ISIS, yet only a fraction of his discussions with authorities that night have been released to the public — first an edited version, than an unedited one.
In response to a lawsuit by local media seeking the release of the 911 audio, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office released a letter they got from the FBI instructing them to deny all requests for information and refer news outlets seeking information to the feds, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
By the way, the reason you see so many crazy stories coming out of Florida is because of their open record laws. But when it comes to the worst public shooting in American history, the books are sealed.
Those recordings and all records are public records under Florida law and are subject to freedom of information requests.
The “FBI doesn’t have the authority to hijack Florida’s constitution, which guarantees us a right of access to all non-exempt public records,” Barbara Petersen, President of the First Amendment Foundation, told the Orlando Sentinel.
On orders from the FBI, the city of Orlando has thus far refused to release any records, they say, “out of respect for the Pulse shooting victims and the families” and at the “direction of the FBI,” according to the Sentinel.
Think those records would be so hard to obtain had an NRA membership been discovered on Mateen? One can’t help but think otherwise…
