On Monday, Washington Post Media Critic Erik Wemple scrutinized President Donald Trump's double standard after he tweeted about Fox News judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano.
Napolitano made comments about special counsel Robert Mueller's report and Trump's attempts to obstruct justice. Trump called Napolitano remark a "very dumb legal argument."
Napolitano said, “Prosecutors prosecute people who interfere with government functions and that’s what the president did by obstruction. Where is this going to end? I don’t know, but I am disappointed in the behavior of the president."
As with all things Trump, there is a tweet for everything. Wemple then showed Trump's tweets praising Napolitano as a "talented lawyer.”
"The trouble for Trump is that the particular person making this argument is a fellow that Trump himself has credentialed. Not only did Trump call Napolitano a 'very talented lawyer' but he also tweeted in agreement with other Napolitano thoughts over the years, such as this one from earlier this year," Wemple wrote.
"These outbursts highlight the astonishing, shocking, never-before-reported reality of Trump’s media criticism: It’s not guided by evenly applied principles and standards. Rather, it hinges on what’s favorable and unfavorable to Trump himself. Who would have supposed?" Wemple explained.
He wrote, "Surely Trump grows frustrated that he can’t exert the same sort of control over Napolitano that he does over “Fox & Friends” and “Hannity.” But his haphazard commentary on media outlets extends across the board."
He then described Trump’s tactics as “narcissism above all.”
Read the full column here.