No, 'Obamagate' Isn't a Hoax

A worthwhile and important column from National Review's David Harsanyi, who avoids the hysterical and dubious "Obama committed a crime" bluster promoted by President Trump, while filleting the dismissive emerging convention wisdom that this whole issue is a hyped-up nothingburger cooked up by the Right to distract from the coronavirus, or whatever. For instance, here's one of CNN's professional Fox bashers attacking the network for prominently covering the developing story.

As someone who works at Fox, the coronavirus has been by far the top news story we've been covering for months, and it's not even close. But it's quite something to see an employee of CNN griping about too much coverage of the Russia matter, given that network's editorial choices for the better part of three years. It would seem that the preferred outcome of that story hasn't materialized, so it's suddenly irresponsible to give new, inconvenient updates significant billing. It's this newfound "case closed, nothing to see here" mentality that also generated personal attacks against CBS News correspondent Catherine Herridge -- from the Biden campaign and other media outlets -- for the crime of reporting on what's happening.

She's being accused of pushing "GOP talking points" because she's reporting on actual evidence that appears to bolster or confirm many Republicans' contention that the Obama/Comey-era Justice Department and FBI engaged in investigative abuses in its pursuit of a Russian collusion caper the central and explosive charge of which turned out to be baseless. Journalism that happens to lend credence to the president or his allies is partisan hackery, whereas wild speculation cutting in the opposite direction is republic-saving fire-fighting, you see. Here's Harsanyi on what we've learned from recent revelations and updates (layered on top of a devastating Inspector General report).