Even with many of their top personalities on vacation Friday, it didn’t slow down MSNBC’s smearing of President-Elect Donald Trump. Fill in host Katy Tur was in an admitted state of confusion on MSNBC Live, because of perceived conflicts with Trump’s approach to dealing with Russia. “You know, I've got to say, I got a bit of whiplash here. I'm not quite sure what's going on. Mark, can you break it down for me,” she asked her guest, Mark Jacobson, a former adviser to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.
Earlier that morning Trump contacted Morning Joe’s Mika Brzezinski and announced a possible new arms race with Russia, then a few hours later he released a letter he received from Russian President Vladimir Putin, described by Trump as “very nice.” That is where Tur confusion was drawn from.
“I'm not quite sure what's going on between Trump's back and forth with his own people over the statements on nuclear weapons and, look, only Donald Trump could make Vladimir Putin seem like a diplomat,” Jacobson, the former Obama administration official, chided. “I mean, this back and forth congratulatory tone between the two for them really ignores the realities that are going on,” he continued.
Jacobson’s attack is rather ridiculous since he worked for a presidential administration that believed they could “reset” America’s relationship with Russia, and who openly mocked Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for accurately identifying Russia as the country’s top geo-political threat. “Whether it’s in Aleppo, in Ukraine, and I’m just stunned that you have a Republican presidential—president-elect who is taking this sort of line on the Russians,” he argued unironically.
Tur was still “a bit lost,” but teed up Jacobson by wondered if that meant that Trump’s plan of being unpredictable was working. He swung away, declaring, “I don't mean to sound glib but we’re starting to see the corner stones of the Trump foreign policy as being inconsistency, ignorance, and maybe irresponsibility.” But those things are exactly what we got during the Obama years with the Syrian “red line,” overlooking Russia, and now turning his back on Israel to name a few.
Both Tur and Jacobson were up in arms over Trump’s use of Twitter to release statements to the public, “You don't work international relations via Twitter,” he exclaimed. But the Obama administration had been the pioneer of hashtag activism for years, remember First Lady Michelle Obama fighting Boko Haram terrorists with “#BringBackOurGirls?”
Playing off of her guest, Tur tried to diminish Trump’s presidency by feigning concern for Trump’s cabinet. “How do you think … General Mattis is going to be reacting to this now, realizing that he's got somebody who potentially going to change nuclear policy through a tweet,” she asked while sounding irritated and crossing her arms.
Before moving on to discussing Russian hacking, Jacobson had a dire warning for the MSNBC audience:
I think Jim Mattis and frankly, Mike Flynn and Tillerson and others are going to have to put him in that groove or we're going to be in a dangerous place in this nation. And so, I’m telling you what needs to happen, I'm not confident yet that they'll be able to do that with Trump.
This kind of vitriol would never be tolerated by the left if it was Hillary Clinton who was headed to the Oval Office. MSNBC wouldn’t think to bring on a former George W. Bush official to bash her, they only air the ones bashing Republicans.
Transcript below:
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MSNBC Live
December 23, 2016
11:27:29 AM EasternKATY TUR: Just moments ago, Donald Trump released a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin sent to the president-elect. Putin says in the letter, “I hope that after you assume the position of president of the United States of America, we will be able, by acting in a constructive and pragmatic manner, to take real steps to restore the framework of bilateral cooperation in different areas as well as bring our level of collaboration on the international scene to a qualitatively new level.” Trump then said in a statement, “A very nice letter from Vladimir Putin. His thoughts are so correct. I hope both sides are able to live up to these thoughts and we do not have to travel an alternate path.”
I'm joined now by Mark Jacobson, he’s a former senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter and a senior fellow at the Pell Center for international Relations and Public Policy. You know, I've got to say, I got a bit of whiplash here. I'm not quite sure what's going on. Mark, can you break it down for me?
MARK JACOBSON: Well Katy, thanks for having me. I'm not quite sure what's going on between Trump's back and forth with his own people over the statements on nuclear weapons and, look, only Donald Trump could make Vladimir Putin seem like a diplomat. I mean, this back and forth congratulatory tone between the two for them really ignores the realities that are going on. Whether it’s in Aleppo, in Ukraine, and I’m just stunned that you have a Republican presidential—president-elect who is taking this sort of line on the Russians.
TUR: I'm a bit lost, because we have Donald Trump on the one hand being quite friendly with Vladimir Putin, then we’re talking about an arms race, as of this morning, now he's releasing a letter. Where does this administration stand on Russian relations and if it is as murky as it is, could that mean that we have the upper hand in the sense of being, you know, non—unpredictable, like Donald Trump may say or is this something that could lead to real problems down the line?
JACOBSON: I don't mean to sound glib but we’re starting to see the corner stones of the Trump foreign policy as being inconsistency, ignorance, and maybe irresponsibility. You don't work international relations via Twitter. And you certainly don't send inconsistent or signals that could be misunderstood with regards to nuclear weapons, but let me take a more serious note, if I could.
There is, my view, clearly going to be a debate within the future Trump administration about Russia policy. You have long standing professionals such as Jim Mattis, who have taken a realistic and fairly hard line on the Russians. He understands Putin does not mean what he says. He understands that the Russians are engaged in a very overt and then also a more subtle covert campaign of political warfare against the west. And then you have Trump saying, what he wants to, changing his mind, being inconsistent. And I think the first thing that the Trump administration will have to do is get the line set on what to do about Russia.
TUR: You were an advisor to Ash Carter, Defense Department obviously. How do you think-- having some experience in this field-- General Mattis is going to be reacting to this now, realizing that he's got somebody who potentially going to change nuclear policy through a tweet?
JACOBSON: Well, let me take a little bit more hopeful line on the Trump administration for a second here. I don't think, because he's still the president-elect, and because he's chosen not to get his daily intelligence briefings, Trump is in the groove yet, if you will.
TUR: Do you think he'll suddenly change and get in the groove and get intelligence briefings and listen to his advisors?
JACOBSON: I don't think he will. But I think Jim Mattis and frankly, Mike Flynn and Tillerson and others are going to have to put him in that groove or we're going to be in a dangerous place in this nation. And so, I’m telling you what needs to happen, I'm not confident yet that they'll be able to do that with Trump.
