It seems that hardly a day goes by without Australia’s taxpayer-funded leftist propaganda unit the ABC shrieking about the “threat of the far-right”. The ABC has also spent months regurgitating the US legacy media’s lies and conspiracy theories about the Jan 6 riot.
Yet it has no qualms about paying thousands of taxpayer’s dollars to a violent criminal indicted for his role in instigating the riot.
On 6 January this year, American felon John Earle Sullivan committed a range of criminal offences at the US Capitol. He made lengthy video recordings during the course of his offending.
On 8 January a US Grand Jury was sworn in to hear evidence against Sullivan.
The Grand Jury has indicted Sullivan on 8 charges and has made financial forfeiture orders relating to the proceeds of his 6 January crimes.
Sullivan’s charge sheet runs to eight counts, ranging from obstructing Capitol police, possessing a dangerous weapon and making “materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations in a criminal matter in the District of Columbia”.
The ABC couldn’t wait to use him as a source.
At the Senate Estimates hearing on 27 March this year, the ABC was asked:
• who authorised the $2,500 USD payment to Sullivan for his video tape
• whether the ABC was aware of his criminal role in the riots at the time payment was made; and
• who liaised with Sullivan over the payments.
So, what was the ABC’s excuse?
“The focus of the program was on… supporters of far-right organisations.”
Interesting: because, as you’re probably well aware, Sullivan is a supporter of far-left organisations. Sullivan organised protests on behalf of BLM — where, just coincidentally I’m sure, someone was duly shot. Sullivan also hawked far-left merch, such as branded black clothes, masks and gloves. In August 2020, Sullivan gave a speech outside the US Capitol, where he urged the crowd to start “burning this shit down” “rip Trump out of that office right over there”.
Naturally, he’s a perfect fit for the ABC.
An ABC archive producer contacted Mr Sullivan at the request of a Four Corners’ producer to source the vision. The payment was approved by the program’s Executive Producer. The program was aware of Mr Sullivan’s role in the riot.
Michael Smith News
Of course, they were.
This is far from the first time the ABC has paid violent criminals to participate in its programs. In 2015, the producers of QandA paid Zaky Mallah to try to upstage a Coalition politician live on air. As the politician astutely pointed out, also on air, Mallah was the first person in Australia charged for terrorism-related acts. He was convicted and jailed for making a threat to cause serious harm to a third party. He also assaulted an officer while in jail.
After getting out of jail, he duly travelled to Syria, where ISIS were in full flight. He also posted Tweets and YouTube videos urging the gang-rape of female journalists, whom he called “trashy whores”.
These are the people the ABC showers our taxes on.