In a very ‘where have you been for the last month’ moment during MSNBC’s Meet the Press Daily on Monday, reporter Katy Tur actually argued with a guest that the media was not connecting the Trump campaign to Russian intelligence. “I don't think any news organization actually claimed that there were direct ties between the Trump campaign and Russian spies,” she snapped at Congressman Chris Stewart when he mentioned that fact.
The interview with Stewart was contentious from the start, with an irritated sounding Tur asking: “Let’s start with a simple question, tell us why you are taking the President's claims seriously? After all, you're on the Intel committee. What hard intelligence do you have to support his claims?”
“Oh my heavens, the problem is we have all sorts of claims made by all sorts of people and news organizations that we don't have evidence of right now. This—“ he began to explain before she began to talk over him. Tur drilled him on what he meant, wondering, “A what specifically are you talking about ‘all sorts of claims made by all sorts of news organizations?’”
His response triggered a heated berating:
STEWART: Well for example, we've had some people claim that there's direct ties between Trump campaign officials and Russian KGB or GRU agents. I'm not aware of any of those—
TUR [Cutting off and speaking over Stewart]: What news organizations have claimed that?
STEWART: I think there's several, but that’s not the point. I mean, I could say who they were, but that's not the point –
“Could you? I don't think any news organization actually claimed that there were direct ties between the Trump campaign and Russian spies,” she snapped at him.
Tur’s apparent ignorance on the subject was shocking to the Congressman who had to remind her that “Well, certainly that's a narrative. That's what we've been talking about for a couple weeks, isn't it? This kind of idea that there may be claims of that.”
And he’s right. The whole discussion was kicked off by an article published on February 14, by The New York Times, which ran the headline “Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence.” The headline literally says what she claims no news organization has said. This report has been at the center of the Russian election meddling story for nearly a month! Every news outlet has been running the story, including hers.
The whole incident is reminiscent of when Tur didn’t remember that President Obama promised Vladimir Putin “more flexibility” with US/Russia relations after the 2012 election. Her tweeted excuse for not recalling that fact was “To be fair, I didnt[sic] touch politics in 2012. I almost exclusively covered fires and shootings in NYC area.” Well, she’s definitely touching politics now.
Transcript below:
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MSNBC
MTP Daily
March 6, 2017
5:04:05 PM EasternKATY TUR: Let's bring in Republican Congressman Chris Stewart of Utah who is a member of the House Select Committee on intelligence. Congressman, thank you for joining us.
CHRIS STEWART: It’s good to be with you.
TUR: Great. Let’s start with a simple question, tell us why you are taking the President's claims seriously? After all, you're on the Intel committee. What hard intelligence do you have to support his claims?
STEWART: Oh my heavens, the problem is we have all sorts of claims made by all sorts of people and news organizations that we don't have evidence of right now. This—
TUR [Cutting off and speaking over Stewart]: A what specifically are you talking about “all sorts of claims made by all sorts of news organizations?”
STEWART: Well for example, we've had some people claim that there's direct ties between Trump campaign officials and Russian KGB or GRU agents. I'm not aware of any of those—
TUR [Cutting off and speaking over Stewart]: What news organizations have claimed that?
STEWART: I think there's several, but that’s not the point. I mean, I could say who they were, but that's not the point –
TUR [Cutting off and speaking over Stewart]: Could you? I don't think any news organization actually claimed that there were direct ties between the Trump campaign and Russian spies.
STEWART: Well, certainly that's a narrative. That's what we've been talking about for a couple weeks, isn't it? This kind of idea that there may be claims of that. And that's what the Intelligence Committee is trying to determine. And, I mean, I listen to your monologue introduction, and I certainly respect your view, and I think you have a point of view there. But I think it's an indication of why this is best done in a serious body that's nonpartisan and the Intel committee is by and large nonpartisan and it's also not done where people can grand stand or where people make claims, whether it's the president or whether it's other individuals who make claims that really, the facts don't substantiate them yet. And we're determined -- we'll investigate this. Wherever it takes us. There's other things that we are looking at as well that are at least as important as this, and we make a commitment to the American people will find out and then we’ll report back to the America people.
…
