Breitbart News

Founder Andrew Breitbart Opposed Birtherism and Trump

• Andrew Breitbart was a sharp critic of the “birther” movement when it was led by Donald Trump. “Conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart is a political gladiator. […] So it was a surprise to discover this past week that Breitbart has redirected some of his prodigious anger. As part of his book tour, Breitbart gave a series of interviews - some with the ‘Democrat-Media Complex’ he loves to demonize - criticizing his fellow conservatives. […] To test the newly fratricidal Breitbart, I went to his book talk at the Heritage Foundation on Thursday and invited him to dispense more friendly fire. He obliged, with complaints about Beck's rally on the Mall and the birther movement. [… The most obvious is the birther dispute, in which figures such as Donald Trump and Sarah Palin perpetuate the calumny that Obama wasn't born in the United States while Republican leaders urge sanity. […] I asked him to expand on his earlier criticism of friends - including his complaints about Beck's rally on the Mall in August. Breitbart obliged, taking issue with those who think the Tea Party ‘is really about God’ and those who claim ‘Obama may not have been born in the United States.’” (Washington Post, Dana Milbank, April 24, 2011)
• During the 2012 campaign, Andrew Breitbart published a book warning conservatives that if they didn’t learn to play the media “the way that Donald Trump is playing the election cycle, we’re going to probably get a celebrity candidate. “It's only a few weeks since Barack Obama declared his candidacy for re-election, and already the right is winning the best-seller list. […] Andrew Breitbart storms to No. 14 with ‘Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World!’ In a recent interview with ‘The O'Reilly Factor,’ Breitbart -- the gadfly proprietor of the Web sites Big Government, Big Journalism, Big Hollywood and Big Peace (which has called for Congressional hearings into ‘the religion of peace’) -- exhorted the dull but serious Republican contenders to neutralize Donald Trump before it's too late. ‘Celebrity is everything in this country’” Breitbart said. ‘And if these guys don't learn how to play the media the way that Barack Obama played the media last election cycle and the way that Donald Trump is playing the election cycle, we're going to probably get a celebrity candidate.’” (New York Times, May 8, 2011)

Other Links of Interest

The FBI has released investigative material related to an investigation of online attacks targeting Breitbart News. FBI Vault