Joe Biden's dangerous disregard for the noble profession of journalism, aka truth-telling, was on full display Wednesday as one of the presumptive nominee's campaign directors launched an unprecedented attack against an award-winning female journalist exercising her constitutional right to report the news.
Catherine Herridge, senior investigative correspondent for CBS News, was the first to obtain a list of former Obama administration officials connected to an "unmasking request" that revealed the identity of former national security adviser Michael Flynn in U.S. intelligence documents. Among those who respect the First Amendment, this type of reporting is often referred to as a "SCOOP."
Biden's name was on that list. In the revered community of professional journalists, this is often referred to as a "fact" or "the truth." Biden's rapid response director, a young man named Andrew Bates, simply couldn't handle the truth.
"SCOOP: Catherine Herridge is a partisan, rightwing hack who is a regular conduit for conservative media manipulation ploys because she agrees to publicize things before contacting the target to ask for comment," Bates wrote on Twitter, a popular social networking website.
Bates has since deleted the tweet, presumably out of shame. But the damage to our constitutional values and American way of life was already done. His assault on Herridge, whose courageous reporting earned her an award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society in 2019, was perhaps a predictable tantrum from a campaign well-versed in the art of protecting powerful men from female accusers.
In contrast to Herridge's decorated career, Bates boasts a resume that includes a stint on Hillary Clinton's failed presidential campaign, as well as a degree from North Carolina State University, a school best known for its hideous campus and the profound disappointment attendees' parents must have felt when their children were rejected from UNC.