Jeff Flake Defends Press in Senate Floor Speech – Internet Tells Him to Shove It

Jeff Flake Defends Press in Senate Floor Speech – Internet Tells Him to Shove It

GOP Sen. Jeff Flake on Trump's attacks on the free press: "It is past time to stop excusing, or ignoring, or worse, endorsing these attacks on the truth. For if we compromise the truth for the sake of our politics, we are lost." https://t.co/pqMcna3ZMn https://t.co/9kI3mZZv11

— CNN (@CNN) January 17, 2018

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) issued a long denunciation of President Donald Trump on the Senate floor Wednesday and defended the American free press.

“It is past time to stop excusing, or ignoring, or worse, endorsing these attacks on the truth,” said Flake. “For if we compromise the truth for the sake of our politics, we are lost.”

Trump routinely attacks the media, who he has called the “enemy of the people.” Flake also said that Trump was channeling Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin when he made such statements.

Also Read: Joe Scarborough Slams Trump for 'Stalinist' Language About the Media (Video)

“Mr. President, it is a testament to the condition of our democracy that our own president uses words infamously spoken by Joseph Stalin to describe his enemies,” Flake said.

Sen. Jeff Flake: “Mr. President, it is a testament to the condition of our democracy that our own President uses words infamously spoken by Joseph Stalin to describe his enemies” https://t.co/ByDENxNNoF

– CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 17, 2018

Flake has been one of President Trump’s biggest critics within the GOP. While he has been a reliable Republican vote for the president’s agenda, the two men spent much of 2017 criticizing each other.

On Twitter, Flake’s speech was met with skepticism on both the left and the right. Pro-Trump Republicans blasted him as a traitor, while liberals dismissed Flake because of his conservative voting record.

“Before you get all misty eyed about @JeffFlake and his “scathing” Trump speech, remember that he has voted 90 percent with the president, and his rare opposition includes being on the wrong side of disaster aid to Puerto Rico.,” said MSNBC anchor Joy Reid.

“Jeff Flake is no hero.”

And it pretty much went from there.

One notable outlier was “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough, a Flake friend who tweeted this helpful image of Joseph Stalin admiring his — very large crowd size.

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