Bill Maher: Obama 'perhaps the worst' on press freedom

The Hill ^ | 1/31/15 | Jesse Byrnes

[Libloather]

Bill Maher is throwing some shade on President Obama's credentials as a supposed champion of freedom of the press.

The host of HBO's "Real Time" sat down Friday to discuss media coverage of secret government work with documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, one of the journalists centrally involved in bringing revelations from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden to light.

"I don't understand why he is perhaps the worst president we've had on clamping down on the press," Maher said.

"He's used the Espionage Act more than any other president, right?" Maher added.

Other members of the media have blasted the Obama administration's treatment of journalists.

This week former CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson told a Senate panel that Obama officials treat investigative journalists and their sources like "enemies of the state."

"The job of getting at the truth has never been more difficult," she said during the confirmation hearing for Loretta Lynch, the attorney general nominee.

Under Attorney General Eric Holder, the Department of Justice secretly seized phone records from The Associated Press and also moved to prosecute a New York Times reporter, James Risen. A former Central Intelligence Agency officer was convicted of espionage this week for giving Risen sensitive data on a secret CIA program.

Maher referenced a comment from 2013 when Obama said he would not describe Snowden as a "patriot."

"Then he [Obama] went on to say, hey, a lot of this stuff that he was talking about I was gonna do," Maher said as members of the audience chuckled.

"But it seems like it really wasn't going to happen without" Snowden coming forward, Maher added.

Watch the HBO segment here.

[Libloather]

A water-carrying, Kool-Aid slurping butt-kisser doesn't like the Kenyan? Too late for all that.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Obama has much more to hide.

[rawcatslyentist]

He STILL hasn’t proven his ID, other than a FELONIOUS FABRICATION! Why isn’t he in JAIL?

[Darksheare]

Don’t forget the drooling press whores submitting articles to the white house for approval prior to printing.
That has been stated numerous times.

[Farmer Dean]

Why doesn’t Obama just create a Ministry of Propaganda?Put it in a separate building and free up some space in the White Hut.

[Darksheare]

Easier to shoot failures when they are right there.
Of course, he won’t be content to off himself in his führerbunker without trying to take everything and everyone with him.

[Vaquero]

He STILL hasn’t proven his ID, other than a FELONIOUS FABRICATION! Why isn’t he in JAIL?

Because the GOPe is afraid of to go after the first black _resident.

[TheCipher]

Why doesn’t Obama just create a Ministry of Propaganda?

He doesn't need to. He has CBS,ABC,NBC,PBS,and the print media doing his propaganda work for him.

[Diogenesis]

[Travis McGee]

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

[Celtic Conservative]

At this point all the conservatives and half the liberals think Obama's an asshole. At this point what we disagree on is How much of an asshole he is, and what kind.

CC

[b4its2late]

Nah Bill. He’s simplu the worst in everything.

[lowbridge]

But, if he could run for a 3rd term, you’d still vote for him in a heartbeat, right Maher?

[Las Vegas Dave]

At this point all the conservatives and half the liberals think Obama's an .....

You are much to kind on the occupier in chief..

[KeyLargo]

[snappahead]

Still baffled Maher? What an intellectual. Well he IS the leader of YOUR tribe, no?
Your too slow Billy, by the time you figure it out, Hamas will be at your doorstep you fool.
In the meantime, just keep talking about how great it is to be a liberal

[Travis McGee]

Great cartoon!

[SunkenCiv]

"...Not that there's anything wrong with that." Thanks Libloather.

[Iron Munro]

Bill Maher gives proof to the old adage:

Even A Blind Pig Will Root Up An Acorn Now And Again

[GOPJ]

Liberals protected a President who was a rapist - a man who ran on ‘women’s rights’. That’s how corrupt and blind they are... So in a way, this is a surprise.