During his initial term, Barack Obama notably didn’t make a trip to Israel. It’s a fact—Obama engaged with the entire Middle East but skipped Israel altogether. This was pointed out by Mitt Romney during the 2012 election campaign, and even though Romney highlighted this oversight, Glenn Kessler from the *Washington Post* claims Romney was misrepresenting the truth.
To sum it up, that’s just Kessler for you. The lengths he went to in defending his stance were somewhat astonishing.
Fortunately, it seems that the moral compass is righting itself, as Kessler’s position is evolving.
He has made a significant move and announced that he will be stepping down from his long-standing role at the *Washington Post* by the end of the month.
“After 27 years, I am leaving,” Kessler shared on Facebook. “I officially made this decision on July 31st.”
Kessler leaves behind a legacy that some might describe as less than admirable, especially regarding his approach to fact-checking. Personally, I’ve been skeptical of media fact-checks for years. From the start, it felt like the media was skewing facts to shield Democratic interests. I think that’s pretty clear at this point.
People like Kessler, along with other politically motivated individuals, tended to push their partisan agendas, which ultimately tarnished the credibility of the whole fact-checking process.
Because of the Kesslers of the world, “Fact Check” has turned into something of a joke.
Take, for instance, how Kessler handled a fact-check involving Carly Fiorina. She accurately stated that her career began in a secretarial position, yet she was graded harshly with three out of four Pinocchios.
She worked part-time as a receptionist while attending college and later took temporary jobs, one of which was as a secretary at Hewlett-Packard.
…
While she did plan for graduate school, her early career was indeed spent in those roles.
It’s evident that Kessler was keen on undermining Republican figures while providing cover for Democratic ones, a practice he seemed unrepentant about.
His defense of Hillary Clinton during the Benghazi incident was particularly infamous.
This whole trend was epitomized in a 2021 fact-check that took an alarming 532 days to acknowledge the truth about Hunter Biden’s “laptop from hell.”
During the 2016 election, there was an apparent imbalance in fact-checking, with Republicans facing scrutiny at almost double the rate of Democrats.
After Trump’s victory, Kessler claimed, using a database tailored for Trump, that the president lied nearly 500 times in one day. The unfortunate pattern continued—by the end of his term, he had alleged Trump made over 30,000 false statements.
One can’t help but think Kessler’s tracking methods were something akin to a serial killer’s notebook from a thriller film. And at this point, he seems to have lost touch, especially when he opted not to challenge Joe Biden with the same vigor. Post the first 100 days of Biden’s presidency, Kessler completed his database.
Clearly, the Democrats managed to navigate this landscape more effectively.
According to reports, after serving 27 years, Kessler’s departure package includes a year and a half of salary and a year’s credit into his retirement fund.
It’s quite apparent that the Democrats had a more favorable hand at play.
As the political landscape continues shifting, so does the staff at institutions like the *Washington Post*, with several notable personalities exiting.
- Kessler’s exit from the *Washington Post*.
- Jonathan Capehart resigns.
- Philip Bump also departs.
- Katherine Rampell leaves the editorial team.
- Terry Moran moves on.
- Ruth Marcus resigns.
- The *538* site closes.
- Paul Krugman exits the *New York Times*.
- Jim Acosta and others face similar fates.
