Turns out our poor Native American friend Nathan Phillips is just another left-wing fraud who cannot live up to the hype on his resumé. And the media bought it hook, line and sinker because it wanted to.

The left-wing press wanted the Omaha Indian to be the face of the anti-Trump hate campaign and sold its soul to make it happen, while at the same time attempting to destroy some Catholic white boys from Kentucky in the process. Those kids had committed the unthinkable crime of wearing MAGA hats while participating in a rally in opposition to abortion.

Some in the media are still referring to Phillips as a Vietnam combat veteran though, to my knowledge, he has never publicly claimed to be. But he also has done nothing to discourage such reporting.

Phillips claims to have been a Marine "recon ranger." He served in the Marine Corps. from 1972-1976 during what he often refers to as the "Vietnam times," "Vietnam era," or "Vietnam days." Phillips has certainly given the impression that he served in Vietnam, as indicated by this quote from an article in Indian Country Today magazine in 2008, in which Phillips described coming back to the U.S as a veteran of the Vietnam er.:

“People called me a baby killer and a hippie girl spit on me," he said.

Retired Navy Seal Don Shipley uncovered Phillips' DD-214 through a Freedom of Information Act request. The document shows Phillips was actually stationed in Nebraska and California for most of his time with the Marines, and that he was AWOL on at least three occasions.

Reporting since the weekend indicates that Phillips tried to provoke at least one other group of students in 2015 and that he and 20 other protesters attempted on Saturday to disrupt a Catholic Mass while chanting and pounding on drums. The protesters were stopped by security at Washington, D.C.'s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

This rush to judge a handful of kids has again led to the media making poor choices about who to elevate. When The View's Whoopi Goldberg suggested that the press keeps getting stung because it's too quick to make snap judgments, co-host Joy Behar responded, "Because we're desperate to get Trump out of office. That's why."

Boy, did she speak a mouthful.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. 

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