The Department of Homeland Security has launched an investigation of the few Border Patrol agents who were photographed while they were on horseback and holding the reins. Coastal media falsely declared that the reins were whips. And even though they were not — even though the video of these events never showed a Border Patrol officer using the reins as whips, President Biden vowed, “I promise you those people will pay,” adding that there would be “an investigation under way now, and there will be consequences.” How could he possibly know that there will be consequences before an investigation has gathered the facts — the facts that are apparent to anyone who watched the whole video? Who needs them? The vice president already has said that the incident evoked “times of slavery.”

Bringing criminals into the country — that’s commendable. Trying to keep any out, according to our laws — that’s something for which you’ll pay. Now wouldn’t a party of government understand that there might be recruitment problems when Border Patrol agents are publicly tongue-lashed by the president, based on a lie? Wouldn’t a party of government understand that failing to investigate and disgrace the military personnel overseeing the spectacularly failed Afghanistan withdrawal would disincentivize competent leadership in the future?

My worry is that our leaders do know this and don’t care. My worry is that the real party of government is the media. The media wanted to cheerlead the airlift and the evacuees, so criticism of the Biden admin’s botch of a withdrawal has now been muted. And the media are against the idea of borders, so they can’t get too honest about the human wreckage resulting from their campaign to dissolve them.