The aftermath of John Gibbs’ defeat of incumbent Rep. Peter Meijer in the GOP primary for Michigan’s Third Congressional District has brought along with it a lot of analyzing, handwringing, and condemnations amongst The Usual Suspects over the underhanded tactics used by the DCCC to push Gibbs’ candidacy at a time when Democrats are portraying themselves as stalwart defenders of democracy or whatever in a post-Jan. 6th political era.

The rationale for the DCCC’s intentional meddling in some key House races by elevating so-called GOP “election denier” candidates like Gibbs over their anti-Trump primary opponents was because Democrats believe it will ultimately help the Democratic nominees in those respective races in the fall. But the DCCC’s tactics faced backlash both before the election and after, with some of their Democratic colleagues and even some in the media calling out the two-faced nature of it all, with purported Truuuue Conservative Adam Kinzinger throwing a tantrum in the middle of it all as well.

On the Republican side, pro-Trump conservatives hailed Gibbs’ win and suggested it had nothing to do with the DCCC’s meddling and everything to do with the fact that Meijer had been too busy trying to play nice with his new “friends” after his vote to impeach Trump endeared him – on the surface, anyway – to his Democratic colleagues.

It is the belief on the conservative side that Meijer had become a moderate/left-leaning “RINO” that prompted NRO senior editor Jay Nordlinger to proclaim without evidence that Meijer in reality was a “full-on American conservative” who allegedly was shunned by Republican voters in the district because he wasn’t a “seditious liar.”

CNN’s Jake Tapper, who’ve we’ve been reliably informed by Tapper himself is the most Principled Journalist™ in Media World, pounced and seized on Nordlinger’s tweet, treating it as the gospel truth. He went even further in declaring – without evidence – that Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney were also “far more conservative than many of their MAGA critics on actual policies and beliefs” but were shunned by Trump supporters because they wouldn’t go along with “Trump’s election lies or excuse Jan. 6:”

An odd feature of this era where such labels are applied lawmakers such as Meijer, Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney — far more conservative than many of their MAGA critics on actual policies and beliefs, just unwilling to sanction Trump’s Election Lies or excuse Jan 6. https://t.co/QNxKPxXU1Q

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) August 3, 2022

First things first, it’s not Tapper’s job to define what conservatism is or isn’t. It’s his job to be a journalist, something he clearly struggles with considering his penchant for coming across as a DNC operative masquerading as an impartial observer of current events.

Secondly, it’s fascinating how Tapper – like his fellow Democrats – tries to pass himself off as a defender of democracy, even at one point declaring he would not have Republican guests on his program who would not admit the 2020 presidential election was decided fairly.

And yet amazingly he and his network have routinely hosted Democratic guests who believe strident election deniers Stacey Abrams and Hillary Clinton were the real winners of their respective elections. For that matter, Clinton and Abrams have both been on CNN and have been treated graciously by the hosts despite their ongoing attempts to undermine the 2016 presidential and 2018 Georgia gubernatorial elections respectively.

Further, CNN – Jake Tapper’s network, just to remind folks – was Ground Zero in the MSM for repeatedly pushing the fake Trump/Russia collusion nonsense for four straight years, leading people to think Trump “stole” the 2016 election with the help of Vladimir Putin. In reality, Trump won the election in spite of the Clinton presidential campaign’s coordinated attempts with the out-going Obama-Biden administration to undermine not only his campaign but then his presidency once he was in the Oval Office.

Also, Trump’s dislike of the Cheneys went back way before Liz Cheney voted to impeach him, as those who remember Trump’s frequent decrying of “warmongers” will recall. Same for Romney, with who Trump was never close to and who conservative Republicans never warmed to beyond trying to drag him over the finish line in 2012. Let’s also not forget how media figures including some of Tapper’s colleagues at CNN portrayed Romney as the Next Big Threat to America as well before he got in their good graces by criticizing Trump.

As for Meijer, yes he voted to impeach Trump but he also did some other things that were decidedly not conservative, as others including my RedState colleague Bonchie were quick to point out:

Peter Meijer co-sponsored a bill that would have put gender identity into civil rights law and allowed boys to play girls sports and use the girl’s bathroom.

This is why conservative groups like @approject spent money to primary him. https://t.co/yEcVBlh0su

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 3, 2022

Meijer also voted for an assault weapons ban, to enshrine trans ideology into civil rights law, gun control legislation, same-sex marriage, and a litany of other Dem priorities.

If Dems couldn't lay off him, they won't lay off anyone. Republicans should respond accordingly.

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) August 3, 2022

Word of advice to Tapper: Maybe try staying in your lane in the future and let actual conservatives be the ones to hammer out the definition of what “conservative” means. Just a thought.

Flashback: The Time for CNN’s Jake Tapper Being the Moral Arbiter of ‘Acceptable Programming’ Is Long Over