White House, media accused of downplaying Atlanta's 'Cop City' riots: 'Actively covering for it'

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Media, White House downplay riots in Atlanta

Off the Press senior editor Rob Smith argues that "leftist sympathizers" have infiltrated mainstream media after some outlets referred to Atlanta rioters as "environmentalists." He also discusses the Army's latest ad campaign to boost recruitment.

A critic is torching the White House and the mainstream media in the wake of the violent Atlanta riots, accusing them of downplaying the weekend's violence after 23 suspects were arrested for domestic terrorism in connection with the attack. 

Off the Press senior editor Rob Smith joined "America's Newsroom" to discuss how the media and the far-left have remained complicit in a radical effort to "sympathize" with the attacks.

"I think that when you look at sort of all of these leftist sympathizers in the media, you have to look at the pipeline," Smith told Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer. 

"So, you have to understand that in these newsrooms and in the classrooms that lead to the newsrooms from top to bottom, you have, at best, sort of mainstream liberals and, at worst, these sort of far-left Antifa sympathizers."

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"I've seen the pipeline, and you see the leftist ideology that sort of comes out in these classrooms and goes to the newsrooms, and so that's why they are filled with these people who are not only sympathizing with this stuff but actively covering for it," he continued. 

Protests in Atlanta turned violent over the weekend after video posted by the Atlanta Police Department showed what led to chaos at the future Public Safety Training Center, dubbed by opponents as "Cop City."

Atlanta police released video of fires set to equipment at the construction site of a police and fire training facility dubbed "Cop City." (Atlanta Police Department)

A horde of protesters, mostly wearing black and black masks, started throwing fireworks and rocks at officers, who were inside a separate fenced-in area, which the rioters could not reach because they, too, were fenced in with the equipment.

The group reportedly left a musical festival nearby and has been accused of throwing commercial-grade fireworks, Molotov cocktails, large rocks and bricks at police officers.

But despite the severity of situation, the media has been accused of downplaying the riots and the perpetrators involved.

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"This is the Defend the Atlanta Forest Movement, and they have events scheduled all week," a "Good Morning America" reporter said. "They're mostly environmentalists who've been trying to save a wooded area."

"Some protesters accusing police in this latest incident of violating civil rights," another ABC reporter said on "World News Tonight."

Police say at least 35 "agitators" were arrested in an attack on "Cop City" in Atlanta. (Atlanta Police Department)

"Protesters say they're both concerned about the center's environmental impact and its symbolism," a reporter on NBC's "Today" said.

The White House was even accused of doing the same after press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she hadn't heard of the riots as of Monday afternoon during the press briefing.

"This is the first time I'm hearing about this protest over the weekend, so just would have to come back … to you on that," she said.

Smith noted that despite the far-left-peddled narrative that the riots were peaceful, the attack that happened over the weekend was anything but that. 

He argued that the left's ploy to downplay the incident and violence is nothing new.

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Atlanta police say demonstrators set fire to equipment and threw explosives at officers. (Atlanta Police Department)

"It's been going on for years," Smith said. "Remember the summer of love in 2020? That was a lot of Antifa, that was a lot of far-left stuff, and we were told, again, mostly peaceful protest when they weren't ignoring it."

"So, we see all this violence happening all across the country, and they want to seem as if this is some sort of boogeyman that conservative media or conservative political commentators are sort of making up, and we obviously know that this is not true," he continued. 

Fox News' Greg Wehner and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.