Mainstream Media Pushes Narrative Biden Admin “Pushing Back Hard” on Chinese Spying Concerns

Monday morning was a continuation of the fallout from the Biden administration’s decision to allow a Chinese spy ball to fly unassisted over the United States, sensitive military installations and other sensitive areas. “big three” The White House will be broadcast by the ABC, CBS, and NBC networks. “strenuously” “pushing back hard” They resisted such concerns. So, they worried that Republicans would make this a reality. “political controversy” China should get every ounce.

ABC’s Good Morning America It was not surprising in its spin. Reports on the recovery and shoot down efforts of Martha Raddatz (who claimed Team Biden) are now available. “fac[ed] political blowback” (for the long wait) Elwyn Lopez, cohost and former Clinton official George Stephanopoulos were tossed to Mary Bruce, White House senior correspondent. “How is the White House responding to this various criticism about allowing the spy balloon to cross the U.S.?”

Bruce boasted that Bruce’s pro-Biden spin should make her a top choice for any journalist to replace Karine Jean-Pierre. “the White House this morning is pushing back hard” “defending the President’s decision to act when he did,” because “he was briefed on this on Tuesday after the aircraft re-entered the U.S., and that he immediately ordered that all sensitive sites be protected.”

So that’s it.

Bruce extolled the virtues of “real vigorous debate” Sharing their talking points at the White House They waited for the right moment to shoot it. “could be done safely” To “minimize and limit the risk to the public.”

As we’d see elsewhere, Bruce and Stephanopoulos touted the White House claims as fact that this happened on Donald Trump’s watch but he never shot them down (click “expand”):

STEVE GANYARD – It was probably an electricaloptical device that they used to take high-fidelity photos. It could have been a signal and intelligence package that they used to intercept communication. But once they get the pieces together, they can do forensic analysis on the whole thing and then put it back together. They’ll be able see what the Chinese were up to and what they were able of intercepting in America. 

STEPHANOPOULOS – Mary, it was also revealed that this is not the first time a spy balloon has entered the United States.

BRUCE: Yeah. This has happened before. It also happened during Trump years. And this is what the White House is pointing to as they defend their Republican critics.

Over on NBC’s TodayGOPers were portrayed as politically-minded while the administration was more statesman-like. Savannah Guthrie, co-host of the show, said in a tease “Republicans rip[ped] the President for waiting too long to act.” Hoda, the cohost, said that at the start of coverage. “Biden faces criticism from Republicans and Chinese officials.”

Chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell also blasted the GOP and peddled this false equivalency with Trump (as, even if the White House were to be taken at their word, the balloons weren’t diagnosed by the military until the current regime entered):

[T]The White House’s immediate problem could be political scandal as Republicans attack the White House. Even though the Biden administration claims that China sent three balloons into U.S. Airspace during Trump’s administration, but never for such a long duration,

After fretting “Republicans slammed President Biden,” Mitchell reiterated his belief that Biden should be elected. “said his military advisors did not want to risk harming civilians or damaging property with falling debris.”

After being appointed to Biden’s Intelligence Advisory Board (which NBC didn’t disclose here), former Obama official Jeremy Bash surfaced to reassure viewers that Biden was on top of this (click “expand”):

BASH We are eager for them to take off over water. It is too far, too slow.

GUTHRIE : The White House has been criticized for its inability to allow a balloon such as this to fly across the United States and carry out its mission. The White House claims that we were able reduce any surveillance activity it may have been engaging in. How did that happen? How does it all play out?

BASH: Yeah. This is something we are good at. We can cover everything with tarps or doors, and then put it indoors. We can instruct people to stop using unencrypted communication. This is routine, as we know how to disable satellite surveillance. This is the military’s decision about when it would be safest to bring it down. This is three buses worth of payload. That rain could fall on a school, kindergarten, or hospital if it was spread over several miles. Unmanned aircraft are not something you want to put at risk of American lives.

CBS Mornings Nancy Cordes, chief White House correspondent, was assigned to the case. She had some positive framing ideas of her own. “[T]he White House has been strenuously arguing all weekend that waiting to shoot this balloon down was the safest thing for people on the ground…The Chinese balloon may be down now, but the political fight over it rages on.”

Cordes also raised the Trump line but admitted that Biden officials claim that the balloon flights are fraudulent. “discovered after the [Trump] administration left.”

H.R. McMaster, former Trump National Security Adviser McMaster agreed with Gayle Kings, a Democratic donor, to strengthen the case.

“[L]et’s blame the Chinese Communist Party and stop pointing fingers at each other, right? We’re on the same side,” He spoke in part.

Monday’s spoonfeeding of state-run spin was brought to you by advertisers such as Find out more (on NBC), Jergens (on CBS), Swiffer (on ABC). Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.

Click here to view the transcripts starting February 6. Here (for ABC), Here (for CBS) Here (for NBC).