“CNN’s seeming premise of brow-beating from a media pulpit so as to garner allegiance against the US presidency backfires and makes the cable network seem…desperate.”
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke was slated for a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) post. On June 18, he changed his mind. Although his reasoning was not articulated, the looming cloud created by CNN’s “KFile” editor Andrew Kaczynski alleging the lawman plagiarized his 2013 master’s thesis may have been part of the decision. But I’d hate to think such a superficial snag—not using quotation marks in some of his paper’s footnotes—was the hangup. Sheriff Clarke’s thesis was written on a subject matter he knows quite well and on one reason for which he was initially picked by President Trump: homeland security.
Again, we see media bias and picking at straws. In the plagiarism allegation, it appears CNN picks at punctuation to bloat its anti-Trump crusade by discrediting an accomplished figure whose homeland security principles are anything but insecure.
Days prior the CNN’s plagiarism accusation on May 21, 2017, Media Research Center (“America’s Media Watchdog”) conducted and produced a study titled “CNN is Completely Obsessed with Donald Trump –Not in a Good Way,” indicating an ongoing “witch hunt” to undermine the US presidency and jade viewers against anyone in or slated for the Trump administration.
Albeit listed as “CNN Source” atop its published articles, “KFile” is written by Andrew Kaczynski, a senior editor employed by CNN. His rather definitive, seemingly conclusive article titled “Sheriff David Clarke plagiarized portions of his master’s thesis on homeland security” actually included a reference to the Naval Postgraduate School conducting its own investigation of the allegations, countering Kaczynski’s premature self-sustained indictment.
Conducted by Newsbusters, the study emphatically claims that 92 percent of CNN broadcasting centers on bashing President Trump. Therefore, CNN is not the station reporting on the nation. Implicitly, anyone or anything related to Mr. Trump is fair game in the scope of CNN. That apparently includes Sheriff Clarke, whose steadfast support of our presidency placed him in the network’s crosshairs. CNN didn’t waste any time. Instead of dispelling the data offered by Newsbusters, the cable station actually epitomized the theory recently when, via KFile, it extended an accusatory finger and branded Sheriff Clarke an academic fraud.
So, what granules exist to support the notion that Sheriff David Clarke intently plagiarized portions of his master’s thesis? Well, the insinuation made by KFile that Clarke misled college governance is just that—an insinuation. Specifically, KFile highlights the lack of quotation marks in footnotes as definitive proof and absolute intent. However, as reported by Independent Journal Review, Sheriff Clarke’s public information officer, Fran McLaughlin, clarified that the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) “has a system for doing papers and Clarke followed it.”
In CNN’s article, a spokesperson from the Naval school had this to say:
“The university’s academic conduct code, and our procedures in checking for plagiarism at the time of thesis submission, and following graduation, can change from year to year. In this particular case, we would be unable to determine any violation until the full investigation is complete” [emphasis added].
With that statement, there is confirmation of a vetting already conducted by the NPS when Clarke’s thesis work was formalized. Indeed, all educational institutions have a system by which students’ papers are guided and governed. Unless the Naval College says otherwise, that makes Mr. Kaczynski’s allegation a meatless bone.
CNN’s seeming premise of brow-beating from a media pulpit so as to garner allegiance against the US presidency backfires and makes the cable network seem…desperate. Unwittingly, CNN’s behavior bolsters the Trump administration’s efforts to ensure national security. Correspondingly, a nation-leader with all this chicanery and fake news being thrust at him—who nevertheless forges on with the business of bettering America—beckons and receives respect and dignity for his handling of chronic vitriol. Even CNN’s Fareed Zakaria thinks so, exemplified by his praise for President Trump’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia.
Moreover, I wonder why there was no mention whatsoever by Mr. Kaczynski pertaining to the Naval college somehow allowing such a purportedly egregious instance. No indictment there, so logically, Sheriff Clarke is a mere target associated with Pres. Trump. Is it media bias? Is it a witch hunt borne of punctuation protocols? Are we to assume the academics at the Naval college merely skimmed through Sheriff Clarke’s dissertation? Another case of CNN getting it grossly wrong?
Sheriff Clarke Responds
In reply to alleged academic improprieties, Sheriff Clarke tweeted that Mr. Kaczynski is nothing more than a “CNN hack” who has falsely accused others of plagiarism. Via Twitter, Sheriff Clarke emphasized a NY Times article link to bolster his claim.
During a radio interview on The Sid and Bernie Show broadcast on May 23, 2017, Sheriff Clarke said, “Everything that I put in there had a citation and, naturally, when you accuse someone of plagiarism, it’s not citing stuff. That’s not even what CNN and their political hack Kaczynski said.”
“Only someone with a political agenda would say this is plagiarism,” Sheriff Clarke said in an email reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In a piece published by the Independent Journal Review, Sheriff Clarke was quoted as saying Kaczynski’s claim is nothing more than a “character assassination by some two-bit college dropout.” Sheriff Clarke tweeted it is Kaczynski’s “MO” to “accuse plagiarism. I’m next.” Perhaps it certainly is Mr. K’s modus operandi.
Steve Bannon, Ben Carson, Monica Crowley, and Rand Paul have all found themselves in the crosshairs of Mr. Kaczynski, whose claims of plagiarism seem to be his bullet. Notably, he chambers duds from behind a screen, firing Gotcha! volleys.
In the case of Sheriff Clarke, I rest assured knowing his awareness of defamation, slander, and libel laws will bring karma to the table of righteousness. I eagerly await how this plays out and how the feebleness in this purported impropriety comes to a head. Hopefully, it won’t be the head of Sheriff Clarke who, as reported in a Fox News article, acknowledged how President Trump may reconsider him for the DHS post stemming from CNN’s plagiarism allegations. That remains to be seen.
According to the Associated Press, Naval Postgraduate School administrators confirmed a review of Sheriff’ Clarke’s work and the allegations made by CNN. Pending its evaluation, the Naval college removed Clarke’s thesis from its online archival base, per school spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Clint Phillips.
If the naval school dispels CNN’s plagiarism allegations, the slander lawsuit is going to be juicy, especially if it in any way fueled Sheriff Clarke’s change of heart. He avidly supports the Trump presidency, even to the loyal extent of self-sacrifice.
Slippery Slope at CNN
Lest we forget a beloved CNN ratings sensation and his confirmed plagiarism woes, Fareed Zakaria’s activities at CNN left the network with lots of egg on face. Then came reports of CNN’s Marie Louise Gumuchian plagiarizing portions of her broadcasts, leading the network to terminate her.
Given CNN and Mr. Kaczynski’s pattern of accusing others of plagiarism, Sheriff Clarke tweeted with a bit of sarcasm: “I just sayin’. This ‘hired gun’ Kaczynski did the same with me. Do I need to put that in quotation marks?”
Ironically, Fareed Zakaria (still employed by CNN) recently commended the nuances President Trump exhibited in his recent visit to meet with leaders of Middle Eastern nations. Yet, days earlier, Zakaria claimed in a Washington Post piece, “The media…must never let the public forget that many of the attitudes and actions of this president are gross violations of the customs and practices of the modern American system—that they are aberrations, and they cannot become the new normals.” Mood swings and hypocrisy?
BuzzFeed to CNN
The wunderkind legacy of Kaczynski includes being lured away from BuzzFeed by CNN in 2016. As stipulated in a NY Times piece, he created a name for himself by reporting what he deemed deceptive behaviors by high-profile figures in the Trump spectrum.
Rebuffing Mr. Kaczynski for his attempts to smear the reputation of Sheriff David Clarke, Jessie Jane Duff (a Clarke supporter) posted the following on Twitter: “had @KFILE Kaczynski not dropped out of college, maybe we’d have some of his school work to critique like he and @CNN did to @SheriffClarke.” Fair argument?
Quotation marks or not, plagiarism implies intent to defraud. Does anyone really believe a man whose life purpose is focused on safety and security would throw it all away by intentionally being remiss in punctuation? It is possible yet highly improbable—which circles back to the witch hunt theory.
Do you believe CNN falsely discredits Sheriff Clarke’s appointment to DHS in efforts to ultimately sabotage and tarnish the Trump administration? Blind hatred? Ratings race? Are some folks still foolishly holding Hillary’s hand? Or has CNN’s experiences involving Zakaria and Gumuchian placed the network in the zealot box, inciting pitches of “plagiarism” from every mound?
I’ll be darned if Sheriff Clarke removed himself from a DHS role due to sounds of slander by anyone at CNN. Yes, karma has great hearing and tallies all curses cast by CNN. Nevertheless, the pieces are on the chess board, with capable hands poised for the next calculated maneuver.
On June 17, 2017, Clarke announced removing himself from DHS consideration. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Clarke’s adviser, Craig Peterson, reported that a recent meeting transpired between President Trump and Sheriff Clarke in which alternate roles were discussed. In a written statement, Peterson also said, “Sheriff Clarke is 100 percent committed to the success of President Trump and believes his skills could be better utilized to promote the president’s agenda in a more aggressive role.”
Could that role be to remain as Milwaukee County sheriff, whose jurisdiction’s sanctuary city resolution passed Feb. 2017? That makes for some definite intrigue as well as a role model exemplifying how jurisdictions ought to abide by the US Constitution. Co-opting relations with federal agents to President Trump’s executive orders regarding immigration enforcement has been a tussle across the country, and Sheriff Clarke is positioned to sound the trumpet aligning with the commander-in-chief and national security defenses.
Some generals work at HQ, some generals lead in the field. Milwaukee County Manager Chris Abele and Sheriff Clarke have an openly bitter relationship, so there appears to be a power play afoot…perhaps supported by the US presidency.
