George Stephanopoulos, ABC anchor and a former aide to President Bill Clinton, on Tuesday’s The View, favorably characterized the Deep State and rehashed a long-disputed conspiracy theory about President Ronald Reagan. The Big Apple anchor was there to promote his book, The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis.
His ostensible praise for the Deep State was prompted by Alyssa Farah Griffin, a co-host with questionable conservative credentials. Griffin endorsed the Deep State, saying these unseen players were the real makers of American history. Stephanopoulos followed suit, exalting these unelected bureaucrats who routinely meddle with national affairs.
“My favorite part about doing the book was speaking with about a hundred White House duty officers,” Stephanopoulos told the panel. These young guns, Stephanopoulos elaborated, come from all parts of government, including the CIA, DIA, defense department, and the military. He brushed away concerns about these unaccountable officials being labeled as the Deep State, stating they were “packed with patriots”.
These patriots-christened bureaucrats, asserted Stephanopoulos, were hyper-focused on serving the presidency and its institution, without any regard for the political affiliation of the president in office. Bizarrely, he quoted an alleged Deep State operative, Mike Seelie, who said they “serve in silence,” which was ironically contradicted by Stephanopoulos himself, giving the so-called silent servant a public platform.
Taking a turn to the more contentious, Stephanopoulos unsuccessfully attempted to rehash a discredited conspiracy theory about the Iran hostage crisis, specifically targeting the Reagan administration. He suggested that Reagan had manipulated Iranian extremists to extend the hostage situation to gain political favor versus President Jimmy Carter. He shared such theory despite admitting a congressional commission had debunked this perspective long ago.
Stephanopoulos’ push of this unfounded theory seemed to just be a sales pitch for his book. The irony was not lost that he was peddling misinformation alongside endorsing the deep state’s commitment to the betterment of the country.
In conclusion, Stephanopoulos’ appearance on The View was a masterclass in narrative weaving and information manipulation. He rebranded the dark underbelly of unelected, meddling bureaucrats as fervent patriots and gave an old, refuted conspiracy theory a new lease on life in a blatant attempt to sell his book. While he’s out there, propping up the shadows behind the government, the real truth-seekers can only shake their heads at these perceptible attempts at revisionist history.
