Shephard Smith has delivered a most succinct and honest reaction to Donald Trump. He took Trump to task for telling lies. Smith took him to task particularly for refusing to give a straight answer to whether he or others in his campaign discussed the election with the Russians. This is the biggest question out there. Most people know Smith as a long time broadcaster on FOX news . As I write, Smith is also in the cross-hairs of Trump supporters who have called him hate-filled and sought his release from FOX. Smith's long term status is not certain.

When a FOX news regular cannot call Trump out for doing what everyone with an ear or an eye knows he does constantly, we are in big trouble. Here is a sample of the bile going out against Smith. This from the Twitter site of the vocal supporter Trump called onto the stage at Melbourne Saturday night and praised to the skies. Sad evidence of how toxic things have becomie.

And here is the Smith video at the center of it all.

Shephard Smith deserves our thanks

Smith will be remembered for his remarkable calm and help to persons at the recent Fort Lauderdale airport shooting He was also instrumental in calling the President to task for false reports of terror attacks.

It's hard to know what will happen now between FOX and Smith, but it will be a pity if FOX does not stand by him. On the video, journalists from both Reuters and Wall Street Journal concur with Smith's strong call for the President to stop lying. One example Smitth gave was Trump's claim that he had a larger electoral victory than Ronald Reagan.

He didn't. Nor of any recent president.

Meanwhile the barrage of hate against Smith continues.

Smith is not alone

Shepherd Smith is hardly alone.

Last Friday Trump made potential enemies of the entire American mainstream media. He called on "the people" to join him in battle to get the word out about all the good he is doing. Smith was trying to tell him that it does not work to claim you are the president of all the people if you are almost daily attacking large numbers of Americans. Smith said many of Trump's lies are inconsequential and that they merely made it difficult for the former TV star to move forward.

The picture is not that optimistic in the eyes of a growing number of critics.

Journalists have been murdered, pilloried and terrorized almost forever. But never has an American president been willing to knowingly threaten those responsible for giving us the truth.

This is serious and it calls every citizen to speak out, particularly on social media where the haters are out in force, trying to do Smith in. The longer we wait to stop the lying, the more dangerous things become.

Teddy Roosevelt laid out the best formula on the question of keeping a president on the straight and narrow. His words are exactly what President Trump needs to hear and heed.
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