Brian Williams: Wash Post's Eugene Robinson Is a ‘Pulitzer Prize-Winning Communist’

NewsBusters.org ^ | March 21, 2016 | Scott Whitlock

[Kaslin]

rian Williams’s mouth is getting him in trouble again. The disgraced ex-Nightly News anchor on Monday closed out a segment on Castro by declaring liberal Washington Post writer Eugene Robinson a “Pulitzer Prize-winning communist.” 

Williams tried to dig himself out of the hole, retreating, “Communist. Wow! Columnist....I think I have that on the mind. You are not, in fact, a communist. You are a friend of ours and a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist with the Washington Post.” 

Brian Williams: Eugene Robinson Is a ‘Pulitzer Prize-Winning Communist’

The slip came after Robinson was discussing Cuba’s “dangerous path for survival” as it attempts reforms. It was at that point that Williams blurted, “Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize-winning communist.” 

A partial transcript is below: 

Place for Politics 2016 3/21/16 3:01pm ET

BRIAN WILLIAMS: The president calls on Jim Acosta from CNN a Cuban American whose father was from Cuba, and you could look at President Castro's face and see him thinking, “this is why we don't have Q and As here.”

EUGENE ROBINSON: Exactly. Exactly. They have Q and As, but when they Q and As, it's usually, “Tell me what's on your mind, Mr. President.” That sort of thing. And these sorts of uncomfortable, direct questions that demand a direct answer are certainly something that President Castro would be unfamiliar with and did not particularly like, given the body language and tone of voice. And you could almost see the wheels in the back of his mind saying, “Is this what I'm going to have to put up with now?” But, in fact, it may be, right? Cuba is going to change and I really think this regime is trying to get its mind around that. And trying to ride this sort of ride this wild horse it has decided to get on, something it’s resisted for five decades and that it’s a dangerous path for the survival of this government in this present form. Yet, clearly, it’s something the Cuban government believes it must now do

WILLIAMS: Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize-winning communist — Communist. Wow! Columnist.

ROBINSON: Thanks, Brian!

WILLIAMS: I think I have that on the mind. You are not, in fact, a communist. You are a friend of ours and a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist with the Washington Post. Eugene, thank you very much.

[NEMDF]

Perhaps he was just mis-remembering again, and seeing whether anyone would notice.

[MarvinStinson]

Brian Williams said the Washington Post's Affirmative Action Hire Eugene Robinson Is a ‘Pulitzer Prize-Winning Communist’

And I cannot find any fault with that statement

[teeman8r]

for once, brian williams states the truth

[jessduntno]

WILLIAMS: Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize-winning communist — Communist. Wow! Columnist a Communist!

ROBINSON: Thanks, Brian Comrade!

WILLIAMS: I think I have that on the mind. You are not, in fact, a communist. You are a friend of ours and a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Communist with the Washington Post. Eugene, thank you, Comrade!

[ETL]

"Wash Post's Eugene Robinson Is a ‘Pulitzer Prize-Winning Communist’"

So was the NY Times' Walter Duranty.

Prize Specimen:
The campaign to revoke Walter Duranty's Pulitzer.

Andrew Stuttaford
May 7, 2003

We will never know how many Ukrainians died in Stalin's famines of the early 1930s. As Nikita Khrushchev later recalled, "No one was keeping count." Writing back in the mid- 1980s, historian Robert Conquest came up with a death toll of around six million, a calculation not so inconsistent with later research (the writers of The Black Book of Communism (1999) estimated a total of four million for 1933 alone).

Four million, six million, seven million, when the numbers are this grotesque does the exact figure matter? Just remember this instead:

The first family to die was the Rafalyks -- father, mother and a child. Later on the Fediy family of five also perished of starvation. Then followed the families of Prokhar Lytvyn (four persons), Fedir Hontowy (three persons), Samson Fediy (three persons). The second child of the latter family was beaten to death on somebody's onion patch. Mykola and Larion Fediy died, followed by Andrew Fediy and his wife; Stefan Fediy; Anton Fediy, his wife and four children (his two other little girls survived); Boris Fediy, his wife and three children: Olanviy Fediy and his wife; Taras Fediy and his wife; Theodore Fesenko; Constantine Fesenko; Melania Fediy; Lawrenty Fediy; Peter Fediy; Eulysis Fediy and his brother Fred; Isidore Fediy, his wife and two children; Ivan Hontowy, his wife and two children; Vasyl Perch, his wife and child; Makar Fediy; Prokip Fesenko: Abraham Fediy; Ivan Skaska, his wife and eight children.

Some of these people were buried in a cemetery plot; others were left lying wherever they died. For instance, Elizabeth Lukashenko died on the meadow; her remains were eaten by ravens. Others were simply dumped into any handy excavation. The remains of Lawrenty Fediy lay on the hearth of his dwelling until devoured by rats.*

And that's just one village -- Fediivka, in the Poltava Province.

We will never know whether Walter Duranty, the principal New York Times correspondent in the U.S.S.R., ever visited Fediivka. Almost certainly not. What we do know is that, in March 1933, while telling his readers that there had indeed been "serious food shortages" in the Ukraine, he was quick to reassure them that "there [was] no actual starvation." There had been no "deaths from starvation," he soothed, merely "widespread mortality from diseases due to malnutrition." So that was all right then.

But, unlike Khrushchev, Duranty, a Pulitzer Prize winner, no less, was keeping count -- in the autumn of 1933 he is recorded as having told the British Embassy that ten million had died.

http://www.nationalreview.com/stuttaford/stuttaford050703.asp

************************************************************

Ukraine Famine

The Ukrainian Famine was dreadful famine premeditated by the Soviet Union, headed by Joseph Stalin during 1932-1933, as a means to undermine the nationalistic pride of the Ukrainian people. It served to control and further oppress the Ukrainian people by denying them the basic vital essentials they needed to survive. The Ukrainian Famine is also known as Holodomor, meaning "death by hunger."

The Communist Regime sought to eliminate any threat from Ukrainian nationalists, whom they feared had the potential to form a rebellion and to seek independence from the Soviet Union. More than 5,000 Ukrainian intellectuals were arrested and later were either murdered or deported to prison camps in Siberia. These individuals were falsely accused of plotting an armed rebellion; however it was very clear that Stalin's intentions were to eliminate the leaders of Ukrainian society, to leave the masses without any guidance or direction.

-snip-

It was estimated that about 25,000 Ukrainians were dying every day during the Famine. Desperation and extreme hunger even lead to cases of cannibalism and consequentially thousands were arrested  for this act.

Despite many Ukrainian Communist leaders' objections to Stalin and his decrees, Stalin continued to raise grain quotas, which led to worsening of the famine. Many Communists blame the orchestrated famine on an unsuccessful harvest and crop yield, failing to acknowledge the crimes perpetrated by the Soviet government and authorities. It is estimated that more than 10 million people died as a result of violent executions, deportation, and starvation.

-snip-

http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/ukraine_famine.htm

[CGASMIA68]

Plus Robinson when I heard Robinson it seems he has a hard time breathing..”Gee hope its something serious)!!!

[jonrick46]

A stuck clock is correct . . .

[mac_truck]

Very funny!

[meatloaf]

He needs to interview the commie running against Hillary. He could be correct again.

[ozzymandus]

Freudian slip?

[This_far]

for once, brian williams states the truth

Yet so quickly Brian's inner Pavlovian bell rang, didn't it!

(Wonder if Lester Holt had palpitations? Thought he might be a change from NBC's usual crap, but within a week, he gave in)

[llevrok]

Oh yeah! Well I’m married to Morgan Fairchild, Brian. So there!

[Paladin2]

Pure Personal Projection.

[Navy Patriot]

Hmmm, it seems that Williams was actually there and has reported factually, this time.

A guy can redeem himself if he tries.

[hecticskeptic]

WILLIAMS: I think I have that on the mind. You are not, in fact, a communist. You are a friend of ours and a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist with the Washington Post. Eugene, thank you very much.

And just when I think for once that Williams is going to get it right and tell the truth, he reverses and does what he knows best.... lie.

[Texan5]

Hilarious!

Paging Dr Freud-Dr Freud, please pick up the white courtesy phone...

[Angels27]

Brian Williams got this one right.

[Travis McGee]

Most of them are.