Trump Spokesperson Launches Scathing Attack on BBC
The press secretary for former President Donald Trump has launched a fierce verbal assault on the BBC, branding the British broadcaster a "leftist propaganda machine" and "100 per cent fake news." Karoline Leavitt's comments came in response to allegations that a BBC Panorama programme misled its audience by selectively editing a speech Mr Trump gave before the Capitol riots on 6 January 2021.
The Core of the Editing Controversy
The controversy centres on a leaked memo, reportedly written by Michael Prescott, a former adviser to the BBC’s editorial guidelines and standards committee. The memo, leaked to The Telegraph by a whistleblower, claimed the Panorama episode was "completely misleading" in its presentation of Trump's speech. The programme featured the then-president urging his supporters to "fight like hell" but omitted the subsequent part of his address where he told the crowd to "peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard."
In her statement to The Telegraph, Leavitt did not hold back, labelling the editing choice as "purposefully dishonest." She stated, "This purposefully dishonest, selectively edited clip by the BBC is further evidence that they are total, 100 per cent fake news." She went on to express her personal disdain, adding that watching the BBC while travelling in the UK "ruins my day listening to their blatant propaganda and lies about the president of the United States."
Lasting Impact of the Capitol Attack
The events that followed Trump's speech on that day in January 2021 were catastrophic. As a joint session of Congress convened to formalise President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory, a mob of over 2,000 people stormed the US Capitol building. The attack resulted in five fatalities, including a police officer, and left more than 174 police officers injured. The physical damage to the Capitol was estimated to be around $2.7 million.
The leaked memo suggested that the omission in the BBC's edit was significant, noting that the fact Trump did not explicitly tell supporters to go to the Capitol was a factor in him not facing federal charges for incitement to riot. In response to the growing controversy, a BBC spokesperson said, "While we don't comment on leaked documents, when the BBC receives feedback it takes it seriously and considers it carefully." Michael Prescott, the alleged author of the memo, has not made any public comment on the leak.
