White House Accuses BBC of ‘100% Fake News’ Over Capitol Riot Coverage
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has launched a scathing attack on the BBC, labeling the broadcaster “100% fake news” over its depiction of the 2021 US Capitol riots. The accusation centers on allegations that the BBC used selectively edited footage of former President Donald Trump’s speech.
The Editing Controversy
According to reports, the BBC Panorama episode spliced together different segments of Trump’s January 6 remarks that were originally delivered 54 minutes apart. The edited clip made it appear Trump directly urged supporters to march to the Capitol, with footage of protesters immediately following.
In the controversial video, Trump appears to tell supporters: “We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you and we fight. We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell you’re not gonna have a country anymore.”
However, The Telegraph revealed the protesters shown marching toward the Capitol had actually been filmed before Trump began addressing his supporters.
White House Condemnation
In remarks to The Telegraph, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre accused the BBC of being “purposefully dishonest” and showing “selectively edited” footage.
“They are total, 100 percent fake news that should no longer be worth the time on the television screens of the great people of the United Kingdom,” Jean-Pierre stated.
She further claimed UK taxpayers are being “forced to foot the bill for a Leftist propaganda machine.”
BBC’s Response
In response to the allegations, a BBC spokesperson told The Guardian that the broadcaster’s editorial guidelines and standards committee considers differing views about its coverage.
“While we don’t comment on leaked documents, when the BBC receives feedback it takes it seriously and considers it carefully,” the spokesperson said.
