US faces payback as other countries hold Trump officials to account
US president Donald Trump: Perhaps he should be a little more tight-lipped – it would set an example to his supporters [Image: Andrew Harrer/Pool/Getty].
(That is to say, if Donald Trump and his people are determined to keep talking nonsense, the rest of the world has decided to put them on the spot for it.)
We all know that the government of Botswana has demanded an explanation after the US President referred to some African countries as (sorry, again) “shitholes”. Was he referring to that country?
Now, footage has emerged showing Dutch reporters putting the US ambassador to the Netherlands on the spot for comments he made about their country a few years ago.
In 2015, Peter Hoekstra claimed that the “Islamic movement” had brought chaos to the Netherlands: “There are cars being burned. There are politicians that are being burned,” he said then, at a conference hosted by a conservative group. “And yes, there are no-go zones in the Netherlands.”
Last Wednesday (January 10), as US ambassador, Mr Hoekstra held his first news conference. Here’s how it went:
Reporters in the Netherlands just showed the world how to deal with Trump officials who make false claims pic.twitter.com/KJf35dh7CB
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) January 12, 2018
If Trump and his cronies are going to keep whining about other people producing “fake news”, they need to have an answer when they are exposed for spouting it themselves.
The incident has prompted some commentators in the UK to ask the obvious – why some so-called journalists are content to be spoon-fed any old much the Tories sling their way, reproducing it without question in their papers or broadcasts, when they should be holding our politicians to account:
Dear @tnewtondunn, @Steven_Swinford, @JasonGroves1, @ShippersUnbound,
This is how real journalists hold politicians to account.
Please stop being so spineless when our government lies.
Regards,
Tom https://t.co/bIcsO6k08p— Tom Pride (@ThomasPride) January 13, 2018
Quite right too.
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