On Sunday’s Meet the Press, moderator Chuck Todd attempted to lecture Carly Fiorina over her past statements regarding Planned Parenthood but the Republican presidential candidate repeatedly stood her ground.
Throughout the combative interview over the authenticity over videos that purported to show a baby that survived an abortion Todd tried to press Fiorina on whether she was “willing now to concede that you exaggerated that scene?”
From the beginning, Fiorina refused to concede to Todd and argued that Planned Parenthood and its supporters within the Democratic Party were “trying to distract the American people from the hideous reality that Planned Parenthood is aborting fetuses alive to harvest their brains and other body parts. That is a fact. Planned Parenthood will not and cannot deny this because it is happening.”
As the two continued to battle over the authenticity of the Planned Parenthood video in question, Todd accused Fiorina of “ducking the specific of this question” brought up how a “Washington Post editorial is calling it a full-fledged falsehood, Ms. Fiorina. They said that it doesn't excuse your mistruths. They say they understand you have a deeply held belief on abortion but that you're exaggerating this specific claim.”
For her part, Fiorina blasted the legitimacy of the Post’s article and pointed out that this was the same paper that accused her of misrepresenting her business career:
The Washington Post also claims that I'm lying about being a secretary, so let's get real. I mean, I don't even know how to deal with that. I was a secretary part-time to put myself through college and full-time after I graduated. The Washington Post gave me three Pinocchios for claiming that I was a secretary. So honestly, I don't think the Washington Post has a lot of credibility here. This is not about being pro-life or pro-choice. It is certainly not about birth control. It is not even about women's health. It is about the character of our nation. No one can deny this is happening because it is happening.
Following the interview, Todd brought on his political panel which continued to scold Fiorina over her statements regarding Planned Parenthood. New York Times columnist David Brooks claimed that Fiorina’s attack of the abortion provider proves that “it's not quite clear that reality matters to the electorate right now.”
NBC’s Andrea Mitchell also joined in to attack Fiorina over Planned Parenthood and used the abortion giant's own talking points that only 3% of its activities are abortion-related services:
The facts are also that that fetus was from a Pennsylvania miscarriage. That fetus had nothing to do with Planned Parenthood and Planned Parenthood does not get federal money for abortions period. Abortions are 3% of their work, the rest is women's health care.
See relevant transcript below.
NBC’s Meet the Press
September 27, 2015
CHUCK TODD: Let me start right in with the Planned Parenthood situation. At the debate, at the most recent debate, you described the following scene, claiming it was on a tape, a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain. Since then, when asked about the claim, your campaign has attacked Planned Parenthood but there is no tapes, there is no evidence that the scene you described exists. Are you willing now to concede that you exaggerated that scene?
CARLY FIORINA: No, not at all. That scene absolutely does exist, and that voice saying what I said they were saying, we're going to keep it alive to harvest its brain exists as well. Here's the thing. Yesterday I was --
TODD: So you saw that moment on the tape?
FIORINA: -- At a football game --
TODD: You saw that moment on the tape.
FIORINA: Yes, and I would challenge Planned Parenthood. Here's the deal. Yesterday I was protested by Planned Parenthood people who were throwing condoms at me. I don't know what that has to do with this. They're trying to distract the American people from the hideous reality that Planned Parenthood is aborting fetuses alive to harvest their brains and other body parts. That is a fact. Planned Parenthood will not and cannot deny this because it is happening. It is happening in this nation and taxpayers are paying for it. Planned Parenthood desperately wants everyone to think this isn't going on because when Americans realize it is going on, whether they are pro-life or pro-choice, they are horrified. This goes to the character of our nation, and it must be stopped.
TODD: Well, the footage you describe at best is a reenactment. The videos –even the people that made the videos admit it’s stock footage, yet you went right along and said it's Planned Parenthood.
FIORINA: Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, do you think this is not happening? Does Hillary Clinton think this is not happening? So sad that you miss the opportunity to ask Mrs. Clinton why she said late-term abortions were only performed for medical purposes. That is patently false. This is happening in America today, and taxpayers are paying for it. That is a fact. It is a reality, and no one can run away from it.
TODD: But you are ducking the specific of this question. And I guess I'm trying --
FIORINA: I'm not -- I am not -- I am not ducking --
TODD: A Washington Post editorial is calling it a full-fledged falsehood, Ms. Fiorina. They said that it doesn't excuse your mistruths. They say they understand you have a deeply held belief on abortion but that you're exaggerating this specific claim.
FIORINA: No. Well, first of all, the Washington Post also claims that I'm lying about being a secretary, so let's get real. I mean, I don't even know how to deal with that. I was a secretary part-time to put myself through college and full-time after I graduated. The Washington Post gave me three Pinocchios for claiming that I was a secretary. So honestly, I don't think the Washington Post has a lot of credibility here. This is not about being pro-life or pro-choice. It is certainly not about birth control. It is not even about women's health. It is about the character of our nation. No one can deny this is happening because it is happening.
TODD: Do you believe this is still something that Republicans in Congress should force a government shutdown over and have this showdown with the president?
FIORINA: I believe if the president of the United States and Democrats are willing to stand up and defend for what is roughly a $500 million to $ 00 million line item in the budget, if they are willing to stand up and defend this practice and shut down the government over it, then let them explain it to the American people. Let them explain it.
TODD: So you want this showdown. You think Republican leaders in Congress should force this showdown.
FIORINA: I believe there are a variety of ways to deal with this, but I believe this is something we must stand up and fight for because it is about the character of our nation. Taxpayers are funding this activity and not only that, not only are taxpayers having to fund this butchery, but Planned Parenthood doles out millions of dollars every single election cycle to Democrat candidates. This is a political slush fund on top of being butchery that Americans, again, whether they're pro-life or pro-choice, cannot support.
TODD: Do you believe any of the money Planned Parenthood uses is for good from the federal government?
FIORINA: I'm sure it is. I'm sure it is. But you know what I find amazing, the hypocrisy of Democrats who stand up and oppose every time taxpayer funding for, say, pregnancy centers that are also very much focused on women's health, but, no, Democrats don't want taxpayer funding for pregnancy centers. I just visited one in South Carolina. They are all privately funded. This is hypocrisy on Democrats' part. This is about a political slush fund. It is about the character of our nation. And, yes, we should stand up and fight on this issue.
