Trump's Goons Warn Pope Leo They'll Prop Up False Pope
Snarl Word Saturation
How They Deceive You
Propaganda
Saturated with snarl words, factual errors, unverified claims, and cherry-picked sources to fabricate a hysterical anti-Trump conspiracy.
Main Device
Snarl Word Saturation
Blankets the article in insults like 'Trump's Goons,' 'smelly Steve Bannon,' and 'evangelical whores' to emotionally demonize subjects and override facts.
Archetype
Hyper-partisan anti-Trump resistance blogger
Reflects the Crooks and Liars ethos of unbridled progressive fury targeting Trump allies as existential threats.
Floods readers with fabricated threats and vile insults to deceive them into fearing a papal coup by Trump 'goons,' ignoring official denials.
Writer's Worldview
“Hyper-partisan anti-Trump resistance blogger”
6 findings · 2 omissions · 4 sources compared
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Narrative Analysis
This Crooks and Liars post by Susie Madrak amplifies a real Pentagon-Vatican diplomatic meeting into a hyperbolic "Mafia threat" against Pope Leo XIV, relying on inflammatory language, factual errors, and selective sourcing while omitting official denials from both sides.
Key Techniques and Evidence
- Emotional manipulation via snarl words: The piece deploys insults like "Trump's Goons," "upper-class nepo baby and weasel," "Mafia-like threat," "smelly Steve Bannon," and "evangelical whores" to frame officials as thugs.
"Elbridge 'Bridge' Colby, an upper-class nepo baby and weasel of the Groton/Harvard/Yale variety..."
This primes outrage over facts, shifting focus from the meeting's content.
- Factual misattribution: Attributes the core story to "the New Republic," but the cited "blistering new report" is from The Free Press. No New Republic article exists on this.
Why it matters: Blends a left-leaning outlet's perceived credibility with a centrist report's claims.
- Unverified personal smears: Labels Colby a "right-wing Opus Dei-lite Catholic like his pal JD Vance," but no public evidence links him to Groton School, Opus Dei, or a close Vance friendship. Colby's bios confirm Harvard/Yale and family CIA ties ("nepo" is interpretive).
This paints participants as extremists without backing.
- Hyperbolic framing: Equates a historical Avignon Papacy reference to a plot for a "handpicked false pope," implying literal overthrow. The Free Press report describes it as an analogy during pushback on the Pope's anti-war remarks, not a direct threat.
- Source cherry-picking: Relies solely on the Free Press report and a tweet from Democratic consultant Christopher Hale, ignoring outlets that contextualize the meeting differently.
Omitted Verifiable Facts and Impact
Two concrete omissions distort the dispute:
- Official denials: Pentagon called the meeting a "respectful and reasonable discussion" with "nothing but the highest regard" for the Holy See. Vatican described it as a routine "exchange of views," with Archbishop Pierre denying any Avignon mention or threats.
Impact: Presents a contested claim as undisputed fact.
- Unconfirmed speech details: No Vatican record exists of a January 2026 "state-of-the-world address" by Pope Leo XIV using phrases like “diplomacy based on force” or “zeal for war.” His Jan. 9 Diplomatic Corps speech critiqued war but lacks exact matches.
Impact: Builds drama on an unverified hook without noting the gap.
Author and Outlet Context
Susie Madrak writes opinionated commentary for Crooks and Liars, a progressive blog founded in 2004 (Ad Fontes: -21.10 bias score, 21.53 reliability score, rated Hyper-Partisan Left and Unreliable). It focuses on anti-Republican critiques via ads, subscriptions, and endorsements. This piece fits its model: advocacy over neutral reporting.
Differing Coverage
Other outlets frame the January meeting between Elbridge Colby and Archbishop Pierre more variably:
- Left-leaning NCR amplifies Free Press claims of intrigue and tension.
- Conservative Catholic The Pillar stresses "frank exchange," outright dismissing threats.
- The Hill leads with Pentagon denials, minimal drama.
- Rome Reports details Vatican/Pentagon rejections point-by-point, including photos.
Bottom Line
The post correctly flags a real, unusual meeting covered by The Free Press, spotlighting U.S.-Vatican tensions over war policy—a valid hook for discussion. But emotional rhetoric, errors, and omissions turn it into advocacy rant, not journalism, eroding trust. Readers get a one-sided thrill ride; cross-checking reveals a milder diplomatic spat.
Further Reading
Neutral Rewrite
Here's how this article reads with loaded language removed and missing context included.
Report: Pentagon Meeting with Vatican Envoy Sparks Claims of Tense Exchange
A report published by The Free Press claims that Elbridge Colby, a U.S. defense official, met with the Vatican's apostolic nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, at the Pentagon following Pope Leo XIV's January 9 address to the Diplomatic Corps.
According to the Free Press, Colby stated during the meeting: “The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.” The report also alleges that one U.S. official present referenced the Avignon Papacy, a 14th-century period when the French monarchy influenced the Catholic Church, including an attack on Pope Boniface VIII that contributed to his death and the relocation of the papacy to Avignon, France.
The meeting occurred after Pope Leo XIV's address, in which he critiqued elements of global diplomacy, according to accounts including a social media post by Christopher Hale, a Democratic consultant. Hale described the pontiff's remarks as denouncing “a diplomacy based on force” and “zeal for war.”
Both the Pentagon and the Vatican have denied that the encounter involved threats. Pentagon officials characterized it as a “respectful and reasonable discussion” conducted with “nothing but the highest regard” for the Holy See. The Vatican described the session as a routine “exchange of views,” stating that Pierre made no mention of the Avignon Papacy and rejecting claims of intimidation.
The Free Press report portrays the discussion as unusually direct, while coverage from outlets like The Pillar has described it as a frank diplomatic exchange without evidence of coercion. No official transcripts of the meeting have been released, and the precise context of Pope Leo XIV's Diplomatic Corps address—delivered annually to foreign diplomats accredited to the Holy See—remains subject to varying interpretations, with no verbatim Vatican record matching the cited phrases.
The encounter has drawn attention amid ongoing U.S.-Vatican discussions on international issues, including conflicts like Ukraine.
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Investigation Log · 51 steps
Starting investigation...
Investigating Crooks and Liars
Investigating Susie Madrak
Searching for ""Elbridge Colby" Vatican OR Pope Pentagon meeting OR threat"
Verify the core claim of Colby summoning Vatican's rep to Pentagon and threatening them
Searching for ""Pope Leo XIV" OR "Pope Leo" "state-of-the-world address" 2026"
Check if Pope Leo XIV exists and gave such an address; article dated 2026
Searching for ""The Free Press" "Pentagon" "Pope" OR "Vatican" Colby"
Verify the cited report from The Free Press about the meeting
Searching for ""The New Republic" Colby Vatican threat OR Avignon papacy"
Verify the New Republic report mentioned
Source: Susie Madrak
Susie Madrak is a self-described former award-winning journalist and early progressive political blogger who contributed opinion pieces to HuffPost, such as articles criticizing Republican policies on Medicaid and Social Security. She served as managing editor of Crooks & Liars and senior political writer for Blue Nation Review, platforms focused on progressive commentary. No fact-checking ratings, retractions, or documented errors appear in available sources, but her work consists primarily of advocacy-oriented posts without evident neutral reporting standards.
Source: Crooks and Liars
Crooks and Liars is rated by Ad Fontes Media as having Hyper-Partisan Left bias (-21.10 score) and Unreliable, Problematic reliability (21.53 score), based on analyst panels evaluating content. Wikipedia describes it as an 'anti-fake-news, progressive political news blog' characterized as hyperpartisan. Its commercial model relies on ads, subscriptions, and donations, incentivizing engagement with partisan content like criticism of Republicans and Trump.
Searching for "Pope Leo XIV "diplomacy based on force" OR "zeal for war" address OR speech January 2026"
Verify if Pope Leo gave the denounced address
Searching for ""Pentagon" "Vatican" OR "nuncio" OR "apostolic" threat OR meeting Colby OR Pope Leo"
Broad search for any Pentagon-Vatican meeting/threat re Pope Leo
Searching for ""Christopher Hale" "stunning new report" Pentagon Pope"
Verify the embedded tweet's claim
Searching for "Elbridge Colby Catholic OR Opus Dei OR JD Vance"
Verify article's description of Colby as right-wing Opus Dei-lite Catholic like JD Vance
Comparing coverage of "Pentagon meeting Elbridge Colby Cardinal Pierre Vatican nuncio threat Avignon Papacy Pope Leo"
Searching for ""The Free Press" report Pentagon Vatican OR nuncio Colby OR Pierre full article OR text"
Get details on the actual Free Press report to compare framing
Searching for "Department of Defense response OR denial "Elbridge Colby" Vatican OR nuncio meeting"
Verify DoD's statement on the meeting
Searching for "Pope Leo XIV January 2026 "state-of-the-world address" OR speech "diplomacy based on force" "zeal for war""
Confirm the Pope's speech that prompted the meeting
Searching for "Elbridge Colby "nepo baby" OR Groton Harvard Yale OR Opus Dei OR "JD Vance" Catholic"
Verify personal descriptions
Coverage comparison completed
Source Credibility
Article published on hyper-partisan left blog Crooks and Liars (Ad Fontes: -21.10 bias, unreliable) by progressive advocate Susie Madrak, whose work is opinionated commentary criticizing Republicans.
Undermines credibility; readers get advocacy rant disguised as news, with mocking tone toward conservatives rather than neutral reporting.
Emotional Manipulation
Pervasive snarl words and insults: "Trump's Goons," "upper-class nepo baby and weasel," "Mafia-like threat," "smelly Steve Bannon," "evangelical whores who praise Trump as a virtual God and kiss his orange ass."
Turns reporting into ad hominem attack, priming readers to see Trump officials as cartoonish thugs rather than evaluating facts.
Factual Error
Falsely attributes core story to "the New Republic"; actual report is from The Free Press.
Misleads on sourcing; New Republic (liberal) vs. Free Press (centrist/conservative-leaning) changes perceived credibility.
unverified_claim
Describes Colby as "Groton/Harvard/Yale variety and a right-wing Opus Dei-lite Catholic like his pal JD Vance"; no evidence for Groton, Opus Dei, or close Vance friendship.
Smears with unsubstantiated personal labels to paint as elitist Catholic extremist tied to Trump.
Framing
"They're basically threatening Pope Leo with another handpicked false pope"; equates meeting to Avignon Papacy attack leading to "false pope."
Hyperbolic distortion; implies direct papal overthrow plot by Trump, when reports describe diplomatic pushback on Pope's anti-war stance.
Missing Context
Pentagon described meeting as "respectful and reasonable discussion" with "nothing but the highest regard" for Holy See; Vatican called it routine "exchange of views," denying threats or Avignon mention by Pierre.
Omitting denials presents one-sided "threat" narrative; full picture shows disputed, downplayed by both parties as frank diplomacy.
Missing Context
No Vatican record of "state-of-the-world address" by Pope Leo XIV in January 2026; he gave Diplomatic Corps address Jan 9 and other speeches, but no matching "diplomacy based on force" or "zeal for war" quotes found.
Unverified speech prompt for meeting; omission allows unchallenged dramatic hook without confirming Pope's exact words/context (likely Ukraine peace call).
Cherry-Picking
Cites only dramatic Free Press report and progressive tweet (Christopher Hale, Democratic consultant); ignores right-leaning coverage (e.g., The Pillar) downplaying as "frank exchange," no threats.
Source asymmetry manufactures consensus of "threat"; opposite bias outlets reveal milder framing and denials.
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