WASHINGTON UPDATE 04/30/2015

| April 30, 2015 | Permalink A Site for Soros Lies If you think the media uses credible and honest sources to report the news, think again. You'd be surprised at how many "mainstream" outlets rely on a left-wing advocacy organization funded in part by liberal billionaire George Soros. The organization is called RightWingWatch and tracks the statements of conservative politicians and leaders for the sole purpose of feeding distorted -- and sometimes even fabricated -- versions to their allies in the media. Now, it's no surprise that press who are outright hostile to conservative views like Huffington Post rely on RightWingWatch's propaganda, but it is shocking that that this kind of truth-optional reporting is utilized (and therefore legitimized) by mainstream networks like CBS, Politico, and others. The most obvious example came last Sunday, when I joined "Face the Nation" to talk about the oral arguments before the Supreme Court on the redefinition of marriage. Before the show, RightWingWatch invented another headline -- this time about a recent radio interview with Jan Mickelson. In it, they claim I called for the impeachment of any justices who rule for same-sex "marriage." As usual, the site intentionally took the statement out of context and twisted the meaning to further its agenda. And while conservatives like me are used to these tactics, nothing prepared me for hearing those same distortions repeated back to me by CBS's Bob Schieffer. "Did you really say that justices who come down on the side of gays on this should be impeached?" he asked. "No, I didn't," I replied. "Because there are reports to that effect," Bob explained. What he didn't explain on air was that the "reports" were from the Soros-funded RightWingWatch. Obviously, the mainstream media has long been the megaphone of the Left, but they have still managed, for the most part, to stay away from blatant equivocation. If you actually listen to my clip on Mickelson's show, it's obvious that what the extremists at RightWingWatch are claiming is patently false. Jan starts out by comparing the marriage case with Roe v. Wade, which conservative politicians insist they'll overturn through court appointments. In 40 years, that hasn't happened. Suggesting the way for Congress to put action to their words, Jan moves into "court-stripping" saying, "Congress could say, that was a ridiculous decision we're nullifying it and if you try it again we are impeaching your sorry kiesters." I responded to his assertion that politicians have done little to address abortion by saying, "I don't disagree with you. I think you are absolutely right, I think the life issue has been used as a political gambit..." My agreement with him (you can listen to the audio here) is not even about the court -- but rather on how the GOP has used the life issue for electoral gain. That's significantly different from RightWingWatch's claim that I'm calling for the impeachment of justices who support redefining marriage. The site clearly and intentionally misrepresented what I said -- as they've done countless times to me and other conservatives -- to further their own narrative. And this isn't the first time Soros's crew has outright lied about the impeachment issue. Recently, they led with this headline: "Ben Carson: Congress should oust judges who rule for marriage equality," when in reality Carson stated that Congress had the right to "reprimand and remove" judges -- not that they should do so. This is a significant shift in journalism -- one that has the potential not only to severely discredit the media industry, but also further marginalize and silence conservatives. It's time to stand up and say, "enough!" District Distract: House Cracks Down on D.C. Extremism The House and Senate don't just live in D.C., they oversee it. For members of the local city council, that's been difficult to swallow, especially when the District is intent on passing outrageous anti-freedom laws. Rarely does Congress flex the muscle that the Constitution gives them over D.C., but in the case of the city's Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act, the GOP majority didn't have a choice. As we've explained before, the RHNDA is the brainchild of far-Left extremists, who believe that pro-life groups like FRC should have to hire abortion activists in the name of "fairness." Under this bill, FRC and our allies in D.C. would be punished for refusing to employ individuals with opposing viewpoints. Our good friends Congressmen Diane Black (R-Tenn.), Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), and Bill Flores (R-Texas) saw this for the attack on religious liberty that it is and introduced a resolution of disapproval, H.J. Res. 43. As our own Travis Weber explained, "We can't exist if our purpose is to advocate for a pro-life position, and we're living under a regime which is telling us you can't structure yourself as an organization and hire people to advocate for those issues. It's very controlling and it brings to mind an oppressive government monitoring of groups' purposes." After pressure from the Republican Study Committee and the House Freedom Caucus, the bill passed out of the Rules Committee yesterday and is headed for a floor vote tonight or tomorrow. Rep. Flores understands the stakes. "This is not about one city, but rather about preserving the First Amendment right to religious liberty for all Americans." Thanks to his leadership, Freedom Caucus chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), and others, the city of D.C. will finally hear from the House that this overreach won't be tolerated. Tony Perkins' Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.