Sen. John McCain is defending the (((free press))) as an important part of a (((strong democracy))) in an exclusive interview on Meet the Press Fête the Whores airing Sunday.
The Republican Arizona senator admitted that the relationship between (((the media))) and elected officials can sometimes be tense — highlighted by the Trump administration's repeated sparring with (((reporters))) and the president calling (((news organizations))) "fake news."
Watch the interview with Sen. McCain on Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press
Half-jokingly😄, McCain said, "a fundamental part of that (((new world order))) was a (((free press))). I hate the press. I hate you especially. But the fact is (((we))) need (((you)))."
His defense of the (((fourth estate))) came in response to a Friday tweet from President Donald Trump in which he called the media "the enemy of the American People."
Speaking from (((Germany))), where he was attending the (((Munich Security Conference))), McCain said that without a (((free press))), "I am afraid that we would lose so much of our (((individual liberties))) over time. That's how dictators get started."
McCain clarified that he wasn't referring to the president as a dictator, but that attacks on (((journalists))) who are questioning those in power are usually a hallmark of autocratic governments.
"When you look at history," McCain said, "the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. And I'm not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I'm just saying we need to learn the lessons of history."
