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After a riveting news day on Tuesday afternoon, networks and newspapers everywhere are covering the guilty pleas entered by former Trump attorney Michael Cohen (in which he implicated the president) and former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort being found guilty within minutes of Cohen's surrender.
The events are dominating the news today, except, apparently, on the president's favorite network: Fox News.
The network discussed everything from playtime:
We're in the most turbulent moment of the Trump presidency, but pediatricians encouraging playtime is a big story o… https://t.co/76GRtUiE8N— Adam Best (@Adam Best) 1534943053.0
to Hooters:
Fox and Friends will rather interview Hooter Girls than talk about yesterday’s Yuge Events https://t.co/aOHcKJwoTa— Your God Black Jesus (@Your God Black Jesus) 1534940438.0
to the Tooth Fairy.
Morning Joe: Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen have, combined, been found or pleaded guilty to 16 felonies CNN: Paul… https://t.co/b5d7gLKXeZ— Bits and Pieces (@Bits and Pieces) 1534938927.0
Right now, @foxandfriends literally is airing a story about the Tooth Fairy https://t.co/euMTF88bH3— Roland Scahill (@Roland Scahill) 1534938150.0
To be fair, the show did cover the Manafort and Cohen stories...for 3 minutes:
Michael Cohen & Paul Manafort, both former members of Trump's inner circle, dealt charges https://t.co/WaIT7URADY— FOX & friends (@FOX & friends) 1534952600.0
But while many were appalled at the short shrift that Trump's favorite show gave to these monumental stories, others were hardly surprised.
Thanks for the update @ridovem 👍🏼 I wouldn’t have been surprised even if @FoxNews & @foxandfriends acted as though… https://t.co/ifbBhw5Kw1— Désirée (@Désirée) 1534947199.0
@rolandscahill @RealAtomicElbow @foxandfriends I'd like to say I'm surprised, but I'm really not.— Jackie Blue 🌊 (@Jackie Blue 🌊) 1534940949.0
Tuesday's developments are sure to be remembered as the more pivotal moments in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, so many criticized the network for what they saw as skirting the issue.
Fox and Friends a state propaganda show on a state propaganda network is talking about the tooth fairy with all the… https://t.co/4mooLyrNvJ— JoJo (@JoJo) 1534939110.0
Fox and Friends has moved on from the 3 minute segment on Michael Cohen to commemorate the Tooth Fairy. There have… https://t.co/0WTz6OrVUr— Robert Caruso (@Robert Caruso) 1534936534.0
Every major news organization is reporting on the Cohen plea deal and Manafort guilty verdicts.....Fox And Friends,… https://t.co/Oxftf4fcks— Tina V (@Tina V) 1534940759.0
While yesterday's events seem indefensible, they haven't stopped many Trump supporters and Fox News anchors from trying.
Many on the right are scrambling to deflect the damning testimony from Cohen that he paid hush money to Trump's alleged mistresses at the president's direction.
One method Republicans--Trump included--are employing is a familiar one: Blame Obama. Fox and Friends did just that this morning.
Gregg Jarrett on Fox & Friends at 6:34 am: "Most people don't understand campaign laws, including Barack Obama who… https://t.co/TziAMB6PRF— Matthew Gertz (@Matthew Gertz) 1534945191.0
The president, who was likely watching, subsequently agreed.
Michael Cohen plead guilty to two counts of campaign finance violations that are not a crime. President Obama had a… https://t.co/tXtXcWQHHN— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1534945054.0
It was a spin his supporters quickly adopted.
@realDonaldTrump Obama had $2 million in illegal donations - wow what a crook! And all he got was a big fine! Total joke— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸) 1534945589.0
This is your friendly reminder that Barack Obama still ended up being a two-term president even though his campaign… https://t.co/J2kmmEc84r— Richard Armande Mills (RAM) (@Richard Armande Mills (RAM)) 1534890809.0
But users were quick to nip it in the bud.
@realDonaldTrump “There’s a reason that deliberate and knowing violations of campaign finance law are a criminal ma… https://t.co/8FnKE0VXjt— David (@David) 1534950347.0
Nick would never phrase it this way but, as he explains, it's an easy tell for hackery when someone cites to the Ob… https://t.co/0aAnwJ85sd— The Nats Won The World Series (@The Nats Won The World Series) 1534948744.0
@KyePederson @PattyMurray @SenateGOP @HouseGOP @BarackObama @BernieSanders @HillaryClinton @JoeBiden @BillClinton F… https://t.co/5b8BfT0r2O— WA Warrior Woman (@WA Warrior Woman) 1534951936.0
Many on the right are also turning attention to Mollie Tibbetss--the University of Iowa student believed to have been murdered at the hands of an undocumented immigrant--to distract from the developments.
I don't really care about Cohen or Manafort, but I do care about Mollie Tibbetts. She was an American citizen who… https://t.co/UPxFkYI8Rw— Tracy Jeffords (@Tracy Jeffords) 1534940252.0
CNN is going on and on about Cohen and Manafort. Not one word about Mollie Tibbetts,— Jamie Glazov (@Jamie Glazov) 1534900034.0
@seanhannity Media more concerned with the WITCH HUNT with Cohen and Mannafort than focusing on the illegal alien t… https://t.co/x3dx1LUcH9— Tom Cunningham (@Tom Cunningham) 1534887362.0
While tragic, the benefits of using Tibbetts's death to make a political point are beginning to evaporate.
Here's the naked politics behind all this: Former Speaker Newt Gingrich emailed @axios @mikeallen saying: "If Moll… https://t.co/PUVJIiY222— William Brangham (@William Brangham) 1534948960.0
As sad as the #MollieTibbetts tragedy is. People kill people. Just because he was a Mexican doesn’t mean all immigr… https://t.co/qkyvOwUWRk— Megan Taylor (@Megan Taylor) 1534934008.0
The terrible death of Iowa college student by an illegal immigrant was hired by a prominent Republican farmer. So w… https://t.co/0K3KvdwOug— Bev Cowling (@Bev Cowling) 1534952489.0
As even the Trump administration struggles to spin these latest revelations, many are wondering if the combination of Cohen's and Manafort's verdicts will be enough to lead to a deposition or impeachment of the president and his allies.