Report: WaPo Mis-Characterized Trump's Quote

Front page story Sunday in The Washington Post

An article in the Washington Post Sunday is headlined, “Trump slams McCain for being ‘captured’ in Vietnam.”

Sharyl Attkisson

The article’s lead sentence states, “Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump slammed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a decorated Vietnam War veteran, on Saturday by saying McCain was not a war hero because he was captured by the North Vietnamese [emphasis added].”

In her blog Sunday, investigative reporters Sharyl Attkisson writes Trump’s actual quote is the opposite of what is presented in the Post’s first sentence.

According to Attkisson, the Post did not provide context at the outset disclosing that McCain and Trump have been feuding, with McCain characterizing some Trump supporters as “crazies” and Trump stating that McCain graduated last in his class in Annapolis. The charged rhetoric continued at the conservative Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa this weekend.

When a panelist characterized McCain as a “war hero,” Attkisson says the Post is accurate in reporting that Trump initially said McCain is “not a war hero.” But then, Trump immediately modified his statement saying– four times– that McCain is a war hero:

“He is a war hero.” 

“He’s a war hero because he was captured.” 

“He’s a war hero, because he was captured.” 

“I believe, perhaps, he’s a war hero. But right now, he’s said some very bad things about a lot of people.”

So, while it’s true that Trump stated one time that McCain is not a war hero. Trump stated four times that McCain is a war hero–and that was not accurately characterized in the article, according to Attkisson.

Attkisson concludes the Post's reporting is questionable for mis-interpreting and mis-characterizing Trump’s true quote, and for selectively using some quotes and leaving others out.