The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Staff, Wire Reports
Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 06:32 PM
President Trump Openly Threatens "NBC and the Networks" To Go After Their Licenses For "Fake News"
President Trump openly
threatened Wednesday to go after the licenses of "NBC and the Networks,"
as he ratcheted up his complaints about "Fake News."
“With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what
point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!”
Trump tweeted.
Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what
point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!
This was after he challenged the accuracy of an NBC News report that
said he sought a “nearly tenfold increase” in the nuclear arsenal during
a summer meeting.
“Fake @NBCNews made up a story that I wanted a ‘tenfold’ increase in our
U.S. nuclear arsenal. Pure fiction, made up to demean. NBC=CNN!” Trump
tweeted Wednesday.
Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
Fake @NBCNews made up a story that I wanted a "tenfold" increase in our
U.S. nuclear arsenal. Pure fiction, made up to demean. NBC = CNN!
The president's comments reportedly came during a gathering with
national security leaders. NBC reported that Trump’s comments were in
response to a briefing slide that was presented showing a decrease in
U.S. nuclear weapons since the late 1960s.
“Trump indicated he wanted a bigger stockpile, not the bottom position
on that downward-sloping curve,” NBC News reported.
Officials reportedly were surprised by Trump’s suggestion, but said no
expansion in the nuclear arsenal was planned.
A representative for NBC News did not immediately return a request for
comment Wednesday, though MSNBC host Ali Velshi tweeted that the network
"stands by our reporting."
Follow
Ali Velshi ✔@AliVelshi
Great to see your commitment to accuracy @realDonaldTrump. @NBCNews
stands by our reporting https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/918112884630093825
… https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/918112884630093825 …
10:01 AM - Oct 11, 2017
43 43 Replies 131 131 Retweets 493 493 likes
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The president's and the government's power in this area could be limited
anyway. According to the FCC’s own guidelines, the commission only
licenses individual broadcast stations, not entire “TV or radio networks
(such as CBS, NBC, ABC or Fox).”
This isn’t the first time the president has blasted NBC News' reporting.
Just last week, the network reported on rifts between the president and
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, claiming Tillerson considered
resigning over the summer and once called the president a “moron.”
Both Trump and Tillerson disputed the report, which had claimed Vice
President Pence even intervened to assuage Tillerson's concerns.
“My commitment to the success of our president and our country is as
strong as it was the day I accepted his offer to serve as secretary of
state…There is much to be done, and we’re just getting started,”
Tillerson said last week. “The vice president has never had to persuade
me to remain as secretary of state because I have never considered
leaving this post.”
Trump blasted the report as “Fake News.”
Brooke Singman is a Politics Reporter for Fox News. Follow her on
Twitter at @brookefoxnews