He works for the DOJ. If it were a republican I suspect the articles would be replete with the word. Watching news and reading newspapers is not a passive activity. If it is passive, you are likely being brainwashed. Challenge authority.
There’s a difference between healthy skepticism and making up facts to confirm one’s own biases. Not that the latter is necessarily a moral failing, but if I repeat such “facts” without any ability to cite supporting information I could expect to lose credibility even if I were correct.