Following her latest debate with White House press secretary Sean Spicer, liberal journalist and American Urban Radio Network correspondent April Ryan hilariously argued Tuesday afternoon on MSNBC that she doesn’t “have an agenda” despite being “road kill” in the eyes of Spicer.
Ryan foolishly claims she doesn’t have an agenda, but both her subsequent touting of impeachment and resignation talks and our NewsBusters archives would strongly disagree in terms of her being anything but a typical leftist.
First, here’s the context of what went down in the White House Brady Briefing Room. Ryan took her turn by first remarking to Spicer that he “don’t seem so happy” before quipping:
Anyway, with all of these investigations, questions of what is is — how does this administration try to revamp its image? Two and a half months in, you've got this Yates story today. You've got other things going on. You've got Russia. You've got wiretapping...You've got allegations on Capitol Hill.
Spicer denied the problems and responded with a recycled joke (albeit a cheesy one) that the media hysteria over Russia is so overblown that “[i]f the President puts Russian salad dressing on his salad tonight, somehow that's a Russian connection.”
He added by telling Ryan that he “appreciate[s] your agenda here,” but Ryan vehmently denied the reality that she does indeed have partisan aims.
“At some point report the facts. The facts are that every single person who has been briefed on this subject has come away with the same conclusion. Republican, Democrat. So I'm sorry that disgusts you. You're shaking your head,” Spicer suggested.
Spicer later ruled that “[a]t some point, April, you're going to have to take no for an answer with respect to whether or not there was collusion” with Russia. When Ryan shook her head again, the White House press secretary unloaded:
SPICER: April, hold on. No, no, but April, hold on. It seems like you're hell bent on trying to make sure whatever image you want to tell about this White House stays, but at the end of the day — let me answer —
RYAN: He’s the President and he used that name. I am just reporting —
SPICER: Okay, but you know what? You're asking me a question and I am going to answer it which is the President — I'm sorry. Please stop shaking your head again, but at some point, the reality is this President continues to reach out to individuals who supported him, who didn't support him.
Less than 30 minutes later, Ryan was on MSNBC as former Trump correspondent Katy Tur sarcastically told her that “you’ve got an agenda.”
Ryan reiterated that she doesn’t “have an agenda” and so Tur teed her up to continue:
Well, that's what he's saying. From what I could tell, you were just trying to get the reaction, a very point-blank reaction. There's committee hearings on the Hill claiming that your campaign could have had ties to Russia — the Trump campaign. How do you fix that perception problem. That's the question you were trying to ask, right?
Whether it was her foolish inability to understand investing, the dubious claim that Trump told an audience that “white America” built the country, or suggesting Steve King is mentally disabled, Ryan’s reputation is anything but that of a stalwart neutral reporter.
The following diatribe about the Trump administration chaos and calls for Trump to step down or be removed from office only furthers this story:
Two and a half months in and there is a lot swirling about this administration. Two and a half months in. I've been here for 20 years, since 1997, the second term of Bill Clinton. We've never seen anything like this before and my question was simple. How do you change the perception problem basically....You have investigations going. You have the head of the Intel Committee coming here to the White House briefing people. The President himself and there is questions over the fact a that this man should step down or improprieties, all other things and obstruction of justice and other issues related to the Russian investigation. These are real issues that a reporter will ask a white house, be it two and a half months in, be it the first day, be it two years in.
Ryan concluded that Spicer’s job is “to make this administration look better than what it does right now and unfortunately, I was road kill today.”
Tur shot back: “Yeah, his job is spin. To be clear, April Ryan, 20-year veteran in that press corps, does not have an agenda.”
Here’s the relevant portion of the transcript from March 28's MSNBC Live with Katy Tur:
MSNBC Live with Katy Tur
March 28, 2017
2:01 p.m. EasternKATY TUR [sarcastically]: So April, you’ve got an agenda. You’re shaking your head. From what I could tell —
APRIL RYAN: I don't have an agenda, Katy.
TUR: Well, that's what he's saying. From what I could tell, you were just trying to get the reaction, a very point-blank reaction. There's committee hearings on the Hill claiming that your campaign could have had ties to Russia — the Trump campaign. How do you fix that perception problem. That's the question you were trying to ask, right?
RYAN: Yeah. Two and a half months in and there is a lot swirling about this administration. Two and a half months in. I've been here for 20 years, since 1997, the second term of Bill Clinton. We've never seen anything like this before and my question was simple. How do you change the perception problem basically? I don't know verbatim what I said, but that was the impetus and the crux of my question and it went off into this Russian dressing, no shaking my head or whatever, but the issue is the issue. What's happening around here, we cover everything presidential and you cannot ignore, as a reporter, that there are issues on Capitol Hill. You have investigations going. You have the head of the Intel Committee coming here to the White House briefing people. The President himself and there is questions over the fact a that this man should step down or improprieties, all other things and obstruction of justice and other issues related to the Russian investigation. These are real issues that a reporter will ask a white house, be it two and a half months in, be it the first day, be it two years in. So I understand — I understand what Sean is doing. Sean is being the white house correspondent — not right — White House press secretary. Sean is being the White House press secretary talking about and trying to make this administration look better than what it does right now and unfortunately, I was road kill today.
TUR: Yeah, his job is spin. To be clear, April Ryan, 20-year veteran in that press corps, does not have an agenda.
RYAN: Nope.
TUR: I appreciate your time, April. Thanks to rushing to a camera for us.
