BreitFart: Yet More Neocon Dumb***ery ... at it's very finest ...

RLENT · Feb 24, 2013

Breitbart Reporter Suckered into Believing in Joke Terrorist Group

Last week, Breitbart.com Editor-at-Large Ben Shapiro, citing Senate sources, claimed that "one of the reasons that President Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, has not turned over requested documents on his sources of foreign funding is that one of the names listed is a group purportedly called 'Friends of Hamas.'"

Within days, the terrifying name was on the lips of every right-wing blogger and media personality in the country. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul called Hagel's purported involvement "very troubling." "Friends of Hamas"! What is it? Who's behind it? And why is Chuck Hagel hiding his involvement?

As it turns out, the answer to those questions, in order, is: a tossed-off joke; Daily News reporter Dan Friedman; and because it's a nonexistent group that Shapiro got suckered into believing.

Today, Friedman took to the Daily News to admit: "I am, it seems, the creator of the Friends of Hamas myth." Friedman says he called up a Republican source to get some dirt on Hagel, only to find out a few days later that he'd become Deep Throat:

Hagel was in hot water for alleged hostility to Israel. So, I asked my source, had Hagel given a speech to, say, the "Junior League of Hezbollah, in France"? And: What about "Friends of Hamas"?

The names were so over-the-top, so linked to terrorism in the Middle East, that it was clear I was talking hypothetically and hyperbolically. No one could take seriously the idea that organizations with those names existed—let alone that a former senator would speak to them. [...]

I couldn't have imagined what would happen next. On Feb. 7, the conservative web site Breitbart.com screamed this headline: "SECRET HAGEL DONOR?: WHITE HOUSE SPOX DUCKS QUESTION ON ‘FRIENDS OF HAMAS'"

Despite Friedman's story, and the compelling wrinkle that Friends of Hamas is not actually real, Shapiro stands by his reporting: "The story as reported is correct," Shapiro told Friedman. "Whether the information I was given by the source is correct I am not sure." Shapiro claims he has a different source than Friedman, and writes in a response today that his source has "three different sources"; Friedman says his source "denied sharing my query with Breitbart but admitted the chance of having mentioned it to others."

But if Friends of Hamas is really a "myth," why does it have a website at FriendsofHamas.com?

Now, admittedly, I made the website this morning. But I'm not saying that Friends of Hamas definitely exists. I'm just asking questions! Why does this website, which I made, exist, if Friends of Hamas doesn't exist? Why haven't Chuck Hagel and the White House commented on the issue of the website I made? What does Hagel have to hide? Is the reason he refuses to release his records because he has visited the Friends of Hamas official website, webmaster: me? Isn't it possible that Friends of Hamas exists? And if I can imagine Friends of Hamas to exist, isn't that the same thing as it actually existing, philosophically? When you really think about it?

This story, as reported, is correct. As Shapiro says, "after all, this is the most easily debunked story in the world: all Chuck Hagel has to do is release his records."

Breitbart Reporter Suckered into Believing in Joke Terrorist Group

Here's the little weasel in question, Ben Shapiro (nice kippah BTW ...):

It must really suck to take everything literally ...

Turtle · Feb 24, 2013

RLENT said:
It must really suck to take everything literally ...[/LEFT]

Or believe things at face value.

Tennesseahawk · Feb 24, 2013

So, IOW, a reporter lied about his reporting, and another reporter/blog guy took it as fact. Hmm... so are we all suckers for doing the same thing? Or is the joke a lie, or the lie a joke? I notice it's Feb 24, not April 1. I'm failing to see the humor in it.

RLENT · Feb 24, 2013

Tennesseahawk said:
So, IOW, a reporter lied about his reporting, and another reporter/blog guy took it as fact.

No - what actually happened as I understand it was that Dan Friedman (the supposedly original cause of the rumor/allegation) facetiously asked a Republican source for what they had on Hagel ... using what should have been completely obvious hyperbole ...

Evidently that Republican source then took the asking of that question - say something along the lines of "Was Hagel speaking to (and therefore being funded by) "The Friends of Hamas" ? The Junior League of Hezzbolah ? ... as evidence of there being something to it ... and then proceeded propagate it thru out the right-wing echo chamber ...

Or maybe the Republican source just liked the idea of using the Friends of Hamas allegation - even if it were false - to smear Hagel ...

Shapiro (at worst) possibly pushed the story knowing it was false ... and, at best, may have only served as an useful idiot ...

Turtle · Feb 24, 2013

I'm betting useful idiot, who didn't bother to research and confirm, and instead believed something at face value, simply because it agreed with his agenda.

Tennesseahawk · Feb 24, 2013

RLENT said:
No - what actually happened as I understand it was that Dan Friedman (the supposedly original cause of the rumor/allegation) facetiously asked a Republican source for what they had on Hagel ... using what should have been completely obvious hyperbole ...

Evidently that Republican source then took the asking of that question - say something along the lines of "Was Hagel speaking to (and therefore being funded by) "The Friends of Hamas" ? The Junior League of Hezzbolah ? ... as evidence of there being something to it ... and then proceeded propagate it thru out the right-wing echo chamber ...

Or maybe the Republican source just liked the idea of using the Friends of Hamas allegation - even if it were false - to smear Hagel ...

Shapiro (at worst) possibly pushed the story knowing it was false ... and, at best, may have only served as an useful idiot ...