You know why many Americans scoff at CNN’s claim that it’s a legitimate news source? Because with every sentence and in every story CNN displays stunning bias and outright ignorance. Today’s CNN pants-soilage is about SECDEF Patrick Shanahan, because the man in charge of our military cannot possibly be allowed to try out a weapons system.

It’s not enough that CNN has a pathological need to denigrate the President of the United States in every editorial and present even straight news stories in the most biased way possible. But when they can’t find anything new and negative to slobber over, they will make something up.

Witness the stupid!

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford visited US troops on the southwestern border Saturday morning. It was a simple visit to keep informed about how US forces are performing their mission. Easy enough, right?

But to CNN, unless there’s an anti-Trump angle, the story isn’t worth publishing, so they invented one.

The two men, who were visiting troops and sites where the Department of Homeland Security has requested Pentagon assistance to combat drug smuggling, were shown a variety of CBP’s capabilities, including mobile surveillance vehicles, ATVs, horses and weapons at the Monument 3 Site in New Mexico, according to a pool report.

But in addition to observing the border security’s capabilities, Shanahan fired a “PLS pepper ball launching system” — shortly after, Dunford fired a “FN303.” The “FN303,” according to officials, is similar to the device Shanahan fired, but with more kinetic energy.

OH NOEZ! The man in charge of our military is firing a WEAPON!

Yes, this is a supposedly legitimate “news outlet” losing its bowel control over a defense official trying out a non-lethal weapon.

You see, it’s somewhat “uncommon” for a Defense Secretary to try out a weapons system, claims CNN, and because it’s “uncommon,” ORANGEMANBAD! Hell, they even trotted out their token military analyst and former Obama official John Kirby to confirm their anti-Trump bias. He was in the military, see? He’s an expert, see? He confirms our biases, see? Therefore – say it with me, now – ORANGEMANBAD!

Never mind that Kirby is such a partisan tool, that even John McCain said he was an “idiot” during a 2014 interview.

Now, why is it that CNN considers Shanahan firing a non-lethal weapon a bad thing? Messaging.

“Outside of perhaps routine weapons qualifications, I can’t say I have ever seen leaders at this level fire live weapons,” CNN Diplomatic and Military Analyst Ret. Rear Admiral John Kirby said in an email, writing that the incident was “not the best optic.”

It sounds like it was an effort to be polite to their hosts. I suppose that’s well and good. But I hope they understand the message it likely sends,” said Kirby, who also served as a spokesman for the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen. “Our troops are not down there in an enforcement role, and there’s already a good deal of concern about the politics of this particular mission. Images like these won’t help alleviate those concerns.”

Um. Wat?

The systems fired by Mullen and Shanahan are crowd control systems designed to avoid bodily harm or permanent injury, while providing a modicum of protection for the personnel working on our border.

But why would our troops need protection while working a non-combat mission, when the migrants demanding access to our country are innocent women, children, and families?

Gee, I have no idea, but just hazarding a wild-ass guess, perhaps this is why.

Honduran Ana Zuniga, 23, also said she saw migrants opening a small hole in concertina wire at a gap on the Mexican side of a levee, at which point U.S. agents fired tear gas at them.

[…]

Mexico’s Interior Ministry said around 500 migrants tried to “violently” enter the U.S.

Why would it be so unusual for a senior defense official to try out a form of crowd control that would help protect his personnel against violent invaders? Aren’t they all innocent women and children? We wouldn’t want to give anyone the idea that our troops will actually defend our border, would we?

The SECDEF wouldn’t have to keep abreast of military readiness and capabilities, now would he?

And why would it be unusual for a SECDEF who had just received a CBP capabilities briefing to actually examine said capabilities firsthand?

Answer is: it isn’t unusual.

What is unusual, however, is the diligence and outright desperation with which CNN strives to paint anything having to do with the Trump administration with the brush of negativity.

To CNN, the ORANGEMANBAD story apparently is more important than any attempt at actual journalism.

Is it any wonder Americans don’t trust them?

Featured photo: Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan holds a Javelin anti-tank weapon. DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando