In a recent show of national unity, the executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, David Kramer, orchestrated a joint letter signed by 13 presidential centers.
This display of unity is somewhat ironic, given that Kramer was the same figure who leaked the infamous, and later debunked, Steele dossier to reporters during the Trump-Russia collusion investigation.
The leaked dossier, which BuzzFeed irresponsibly published without validation, alleged that then-President-elect Donald Trump was manipulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It was central to the “Crossfire Hurricane” FBI investigation and the subsequent probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Far from promoting unity, the dossier’s release divided the nation and became a political tool wielded heavily by the media and Trump’s detractors.
Kramer, an associate of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and former State Department official under President George W. Bush, has now hypocritically shifted gears by rallying the foundations of former presidents around a call for unity and civility in politics.
The joint statement, co-signed by organizations as varied as the Obama Foundation to The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, promotes the idea that “democracy holds us together” and emphasizes the importance of role and responsibility in addressing the nation’s issues.
RELATED: Watch: Fans Go Viral for Trump Tribute During ‘God Bless America’ at NY Yankee Stadium
Interestingly, the Eisenhower Foundation declined to sign the letter, citing a lack of pre-publication discussion.
While Kramer insists that the recent letter is apolitical, one cannot help but contrast his current efforts with his past actions.
In 2019, he confessed to leaking the Steele dossier to several news outlets, resulting in a media frenzy that amplified discord rather than unity.
His warning to journalists about the “sensitivity of the document” was widely ignored, with even respected media institutions reporting on it uncritically.
When the dossier’s credibility crumbled, media outlets like The Washington Post had to retract significant portions of their coverage.
Even NBC News’ Chuck Todd chided BuzzFeed’s then-editor, Ben Smith, stating, “You just published fake news.”
The media’s embrace of the dossier even influenced the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, which was awarded to both The Washington Post and The New York Times for their Russiagate coverage, much to the dismay of critics, considering the dossier’s subsequent discrediting.
Paul Roderick Gregory, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and at Stanford University, sharply criticized the undue attention the dossier received, writing for Forbes, “We have reached a sad state of affairs where an anonymous report, full of bizarre statements, captures the attention of the world media.”
As former President Trump contends with legal challenges and maintains significant support within the GOP, Kramer’s new call for unity stands as a stark reminder of the consequences of unchecked political bias in reporting and its potential to tear at the fabric of our society.
RELATED: Mollie Hemmingway Delivers Bad News to George W, Bush, Dick Cheney and Mitt Romney, Your Era is Over
RELATED: Now They May Very Well Come After Trump for Copyright Violation After Mug Shot Backfires