Published on April 1, 2024, 12:06 am

Ronna McDaniel, the former Chair of the Republican National Committee, was hired and then fired by NBC News as their on-air talent expressed disapproval. This disruption represents a glimpse into the current climate within contemporary news media.

One moment of heightened interest from this controversy was when host and ex-White House press secretary Jen Psaki contrasted herself with McDaniel, asserting that what differentiated them were “truth versus lies.” But what precisely does Psaki mean?

Just last week, Psaki misrepresented Donald Trump’s metaphorical comment about an “economic bloodbath,” inaccurately interpreting it as promoting political violence and dehumanizing language.

Ignoring her propagation of ‘election denialism’ in relation to the 2016 election that she alleged was manipulated by Russia, Psaki has proven adept at distorting truths both grand and trivial. Whether promoting erroneous claims about Democratic support for late-term abortion or incorrectly asserting that President Joe Biden’s dog Major had never bitten Secret Service officers (reported incidents total at least 24), or even fostering misconceptions regarding Border Patrol agents allegedly whipping Haitian migrants—Psaki has become a fountainhead of misleading information.

Even within the context of usual White House press secretaries’ stretching of truths, she stands out.

When Democrats were pushing their substantial welfare expansion plan initially dubbed “Build Back Better” then rebranded “Inflation Reduction Act”, Psaki misled media representatives by declaring no economist foresaw higher inflation as a result of significant government spending. Indeed, numerous revered economists, including prominent Democrats, had forewarned adding trillions to an overheated economy would worsen inflation—a fact surely known to Psaki considering these predictions were made before her claim in November 2021. Coincidentally, just a month prior recorded inflation rates matched its fastest pace since 1990.

During the calamitous mismanagement of Afghan withdrawal under Biden’s administration—which resulted in thirteen American servicemen losing their lives near Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport—Psaki veered away from truth once again.

Despite intelligence officials cautioning that unsecured routes to the airport were being exploited by terrorists, Psaki insisted that all “American citizens,” “Afghan partners,” and “allies” were being evacuated. When questioned about the number of Americans left in Afghanistan, she irately retorted it was “irresponsible to say Americans are stranded.” However, days later, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby dismissively announced “we have Americans that get stranded in countries all the time.” It was a known fact.

Eventually, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee revealed that almost 9,000 Americans were abandoned in Afghanistan during Biden’s ill-executed withdrawal. An NGO report disclosed about 78,000 Afghan allies were deserted amid the chaotic exodus.

But Psaki’s career of misinformation extends back further than her role as White House Press Secretary. Among her previous undertakings was a mission to broadcast Iran-sympathizer Ben Rhodes’ ‘echo chamber’, disseminating misinformation about an atomic deal arranged to fortify the Islamic terror state—a top priority for Obama administration at that time. Also worth mentioning is when State Department intentionally omitted distracting answers within press briefing videos to dodge criticism for their concerted effort in misleading the media; Psaki deceived American public on this matter too.

This only scratches the surface of Psaki’s extensive history. And though it is true McDaniel too has diverged from absolute truth for political convenience, she pales in comparison with Psaki when viewed through this real news lens stemming from a Christian worldview and grounded in trusted news sources.