{"id":3213,"date":"2026-07-12T19:08:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T19:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3213"},"modified":"2026-07-12T19:08:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T19:08:05","slug":"ex-gop-aide-blasts-dems-for-not-standing-up-to-trumps-first-amendment-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3213","title":{"rendered":"Ex-GOP aide blasts Dems for not standing up to Trump’s First Amendment attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

President Donald Trump is investigating a quarter of The New York Times’ reporters for breaking a story about security concerns regarding the Air Force One plane donated by Qatar \u2014 and a former Republican presidential aide is calling out Democrats for not doing enough to hold the Republican leader accountable.<\/p>\n

Read more Ex-White House Deputy warns Trump leaving US at risk of \u2018fundamental rupture\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

After describing how Trump subpoenaed journalists Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt \u2014 as well as persecuted Hannah Natanson of The Washington Post and Don Lemon and Georgia Fort while covering ICE in Minnesota \u2014 Steve Schmidt, who served as an aide to President George W. Bush, wrote on his Substack on Sunday. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t a media story,\u201d Schmidt argued. \u201cIt isn\u2019t a leak story. It isn\u2019t another partisan spectacle. It\u2019s a constitutional story. Full stop. The First Amendment was never written to protect journalists. It was written to protect the American people from government. The founders understood something every generation must learn again.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cPower hides. Power resents scrutiny. Power fears exposure. Power almost never announces that liberty is ending. It advances one justification at a time. One subpoena. One search warrant. One seizure. One arrest. One frightened source. One intimidated reporter. One knock at the door. That\u2019s how free societies become less free.\u201d<\/p>\n

From there, Schmidt claimed that Democrats can start holding Trump accountable by making sure he is not allowed to keep the Qatar jet that was given to him as a gift by that nation\u2019s royal family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner is scheduled for later this month,\u201d Schmidt argued. \u201cThis isn\u2019t an ordinary year. There\u2019s nothing ordinary about federal agents appearing at the homes of reporters. There\u2019s nothing ordinary about search warrants executed against journalists. There\u2019s nothing ordinary about reporting equipment being seized. There\u2019s nothing ordinary about the cumulative pressure these actions place on a free press.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s more \u2018communist\u2019 than he wants to admit: Bezos\u2019 paper<\/a><\/p>\n

He added, \u201cThe annual ritual should give way to constitutional seriousness. The White House Correspondents\u2019 Association exists for a purpose greater than hosting a dinner.\u201d For that reason, he argued that the White House press corps must acknowledge Trump\u2019s behavior at the current event. He added that the Democratic Party must also stop cowering at Trump\u2019s threats and instead demand institutional responsibility for the gifts he has accepted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts leaders should make a simple pledge,\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cNo aircraft accepted under these circumstances should ever become Donald Trump\u2019s personal property. Not after his presidency. Not at a presidential library. Not in a private museum. Not anywhere. The presidency is a public trust. Its symbols aren\u2019t private trophies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New York Times is not alone in receiving Trump\u2019s wrath over the reporting on his Qatari plane. Last week, Trump reported did the same thing to a journalist speaking on MS NOW.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump\u2019s earlier choice to use the gifted Qatari jet as a primary presidential aircraft has been controversial because the gifted plane lacks key military defenses of the original Air Force One, including the ability to refuel mid-air and missile-defense systems, according to a law enforcement official briefed on its capabilities,\u201d MS NOW\u2019s Carol Leonnig reported.<\/p>\n

In response to this story, White House communications director Steven Cheung attacked Leonnig, claiming that \u201cCarol Leonnig is a liar and this article is complete Fake News. She has no idea what she is talking about. She says the White House declined to comment. Not true. We gave comment to The New York Times and many other outlets. Carol is not a real journalist. A complete fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Republicans plead for more money as race in 3-time Trump state looks unwinnable<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump is investigating a quarter of The New York Times’ reporters for breaking a story about security concerns regarding the Air Force One plane donated by Qatar \u2014 and a former Republican presidential aide is calling out Democrats for not doing enough to hold the Republican leader a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nEx-GOP aide blasts Dems for not standing up to Trump's First Amendment attacks - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3213\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ex-GOP aide blasts Dems for not standing up to Trump's First Amendment attacks - 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