White House Accuses BBC of ‘Purposefully Dishonest’ Reporting on Capitol Riots
The White House has sharply criticized the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of presenting “purposefully dishonest” coverage of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks during the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots.
In comments published by The Telegraph on Friday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the BBC’s recent Panorama documentary used “selectively edited” footage to misrepresent Trump’s words on the day of the unrest.
According to The Telegraph, the disputed video segment appeared to show Trump urging his supporters to march to the Capitol, saying:
“We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell, and if you don’t fight like hell you’re not gonna have a country anymore.”
However, the report alleges that the clip was edited by combining two separate statements made about 54 minutes apart, misleadingly implying they were consecutive. The protesters seen marching toward the Capitol in the BBC segment were reportedly filmed before Trump began his address.
Leavitt condemned the broadcaster’s actions, stating:
“They are total, 100 percent fake news that should no longer be worth the time on the television screens of the great people of the United Kingdom.”
She further accused the BBC of spreading “Leftist propaganda” at the expense of UK taxpayers, who fund the public broadcaster through mandatory license fees.
In response, a BBC spokesperson told The Guardian that the organization adheres to strict editorial guidelines and routinely reviews feedback regarding its coverage.
“While we don’t comment on leaked documents, when the BBC receives feedback it takes it seriously and considers it carefully,” the spokesperson said.
The controversy comes amid broader debates over media integrity and political bias in public broadcasting, both in the UK and abroad.
Source: RT
