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The Big Lies › 2020 › File PF-0175
Retracted

Meet the Press Cuts Barr's Flynn Answer Mid-Thought

Chuck Todd aired a clip of Attorney General Barr saying history is written by the winners about dropping the Flynn case, then said Barr had not invoked the rule of law.

First reported May 10, 2020 · NBC News
Screenshot of the original report as published
Screenshot of the report as published: nbcnews.com. Tap to open the source.
Who it helped: Democrats

The edit made Barr's Flynn decision look like raw political power with no legal rationale.

What was reported

Chuck Todd aired a clip of Attorney General Barr saying history is written by the winners about dropping the Flynn case, then said Barr had not invoked the rule of law.

What actually happened

The clip cut Barr off; in the full answer he went on to say a fair history would see the decision as upholding the rule of law. The DOJ objected, the show's account acknowledged the error that day, and Todd apologized on air, saying his team had only seen the shorter of two clips. PolitiFact rated Todd's characterization False.

The proof

NBC's own apology and PolitiFact's comparison of the full Barr quote with the aired clip.

The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:

Meet the Press Cuts Barr's Flynn Answer Mid-Thought — Retracted. NBC's own apology and PolitiFact's comparison of the full Barr quote with the aired clip. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/meet-the-press-edited-barr-flynn-clip/

Original reporting

Corrections, findings & records

Archived copies

Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.

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