Meet the Press Showdown w Tom Cotton plus DOJ Uncovers 260,000 Dead Voters

6 snips

Dec 8, 2025

Tom Cotton, a U.S. Senator from Arkansas and former Army officer, takes center stage discussing the alleged slander against the military by media outlets regarding a U.S. strike on a drug boat. He insists that intelligence confirmed all onboard were traffickers. The conversation shifts to election integrity, revealing the DOJ's discovery of over 260,000 deceased individuals on voter rolls, with significant lawsuits against several states. Cotton advocates for voter ID laws, criticizing resistance from Democrats while asserting transparency is essential for fair elections.

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INSIGHT

Media Framing Can Undermine Military Actions

Media narratives can weaponize selective reporting to undermine military actions and leadership.
Ben Ferguson and Sen. Tom Cotton argue the Washington Post story mischaracterized a strike and pressured service members to hesitate.

ANECDOTE

Cotton’s Briefing Account Of The Strike

Sen. Tom Cotton recounts the briefings and video showing the capsized vessel and subsequent strikes.
He describes high confidence from multiple intelligence sources that everyone aboard were traffickers and thus valid targets.

INSIGHT

Legal Language Fuels Prolonged Controversy

Legal frameworks like the Pentagon's law of war manual can be invoked to question strikes.
Ben Ferguson frames such questioning as media efforts to extend controversy and intimidate military personnel.

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1) Media vs. Military: Narco‑Boat Strikes

Central assertion: Media outlets (especially The Washington Post) allegedly “slandered” the military with false reporting about a U.S. strike on a Venezuelan drug boat; Senator Tom Cotton is quoted saying everyone on the boat was a “valid target” based on intelligence.
Details cited:
- References to NBC’s question about orders by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to target all individuals on the boat; Cotton responds that the operation aimed to destroy drug boats and that intelligence gave “high confidence” all aboard were traffickers.
- Discussion of the Law of War Manual and whether firing on “shipwrecked” persons would be illegal; the host’s questions are framed as attempts to undermine the military.
Broader framing: The piece compares this episode to past controversies (e.g., the “Russia dossier”), alleging coordinated efforts by Democrats and media to undermine or criminalize Trump officials and intimidate service members.

2) Voter Rolls & Election Integrity

Core allegation: The Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon (spelled “Harmei Dylon” in the text) purportedly announced DOJ findings of 260,000+ deceased individuals on voter rolls and thousands of registered non‑citizens; DOJ has sued multiple states to obtain voter list data.
States mentioned: Lawsuits or actions described against Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and large cleanup activity in North Carolina (over 100,000 registrations)
Author’s stance: Argues for voter ID, claims Democrats oppose roll cleanup for political advantage, and quotes Trump asserting elections are “crooked and rigged.”

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