This week’s Liberal Media Scream features NBC Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd, who has been on an anti-Trump roll.
This weekend it was Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson who raised Todd’s ire and the newsman’s demand that Johnson stop singling out biased media. Johnson also faced a slap from Todd who accused the two-term senator of buttering up to Trump.
The clash came when Johnson raised the hostility to Trump of top FBI agents before the 2016 election and how that has fueled Trump’s anger over Russia collusion charges. His voice rising, an annoyed Todd chastised Johnson for bringing up “Fox News conspiracy propaganda stuff.”
After repeatedly trying to interrupt Johnson, Todd said: “This is not about the media! Senator Johnson, please! Can we please answer the question instead of trying to make Donald Trump feel better here.”
From the October 6 Meet the Press:
SEN. RON JOHNSON: You’ve got John Brennan on — you ought to ask Director Brennan what did Peter Strzok mean when he texted Lisa Page on December 15th, 2016?
CHUCK TODD: Senator? Can we, Senator?
JOHNSON: No, no, Chuck, let me finish.
TODD: What does this have to do with Ukraine? What does this have to do with Ukraine?
JOHNSON: It has everything to do with Ukraine. Now listen. ‘Think our sisters have begun leaking like mad, scorned and worried and political. They’re kicking into overdrive.’ Now, that was December 15th. Six days before that is when we first started hearing the CIA leaking about Russia supporting the Trump campaign. That is why Trump is so upset. He had this false narrative, that resulted in him being set by up James Comey in — on January 16th. Then he has the–
TODD: Senator–
JOHNSON: –Special Counsel appointed that has hampered his entire investigation–
TODD: Senator?
JOHNSON: –his entire– his entire– his entire administration. And now, once he’s been– that was proven false, he would like to know and I would like to know and I know his supporters would like to know, where did this all come from? Who planted that false story?
TODD: Senator!
JOHNSON: Who leaked? You know, I have my third letter into the Inspector General of the Intelligence–
TODD: All right, senator–
JOHNSON: –Committee, asking to just confirm– just confirm, are you investigating those leaks that Peter Strzok talked about in that–
TODD: All right, senator, I have no idea why a Fox, why a Fox News conspiracy, propaganda stuff is popping up on here. I have no idea, I have no idea why we’re going here. Senator, I’m asking about–
JOHNSON: –That is why President Trump is upset and why his supporters are upset at the news media.
TODD: Oh, okay, this is not about the media! Senator Johnson — Senator Johnson, please! Can we please answer the question that I asked you instead of trying to make Donald Trump feel better here that you’re not criticizing him–
JOHNSON: I’m not — I’m not.
TODD: I’m just trying to ask you a simple question of what made you what made you wince. What, I’m asking a simple question about you, clearly, were upset that somehow there was an implication military aide was being frozen because the president wanted an investigation. Why did you wince?
Media Research Center Vice President of Research Brent Baker explains our weekly pick: “A fine display of how far Meet the Press has fallen since the days of Tim Russert. Chuck Todd is much more of a liberal political activist than an inquisitive journalist, literally yelling to silence a conservative guest who dared stray from the media’s narrative by trying to introduce facts Todd wants to discredit and condescendingly dismissed as conspiratorial.”
Rating: Five out of five screams.
