On Friday's edition of The 11th Hour on MSNBC, host Brian Williams seemed to suggest that Fox News be banned from military bases because Tucker Carlson responded to Gen. Mark Milley's recent defense of Critical Race Theory by declaring "He’s not just a pig. He’s stupid." Later, Williams tried to tie concerns about CRT in the military to Vladimir Putin.
Addressing the nominally conservative Charlie Sykes, Williams lamented that "Fox News is on and virtually every mess hall and lounge in military bases foreign and domestic. So think about it, through the ranks they are going to hear Fox News refer to the chairman of the joint chiefs as a stupid pig."
There are two great ironies in Williams' comments. First, Milley and other members of the joint chiefs have defended CRT and so-called "anti-racist" literature under the guise of critical thinking, being well read, and learning different perspectives, yet here is Williams, urging the military to ban a much more mainstream perspective.
Second, if speaking ill of the military is grounds for banishment, that is bad news for MSNBC, because during the last month-and-a-half they have constantly accused the U.S. of either engaging in or aiding war crimes.
Carlson may be an easy target for having never served, but both omitted that Milley was responding to Rep. Michael Waltz, a National Guard colonel and Green Beret, not exactly a "pampered man child trust fund baby."
Sykes did not care that the military is, in its supposed attempt to be well read on non-military issues, promoting far-left racial politics with no conservative alternatives. He lamented that Milley is not respected, "And you would think that people would step back and say, okay, I'm sorry, you can disagree with the man, but we are a party and a movement that has always prided ourselves on respect for the military, respect for what he has accomplished."
Sykes then began talking about former President Trump's upcoming rallies in Ohio, but Williams returned to the topic to conclude the segment, "We should never forget the goals of the foreign interests that are quietly all over our social media. They rhyme with Vladimir Putin. And those interests are to cause division in our society, weaken our alliances, weaken our military, among other things."
The ones causing division are the ones pushing left-wing propaganda in what is supposed to be non-partisan territory.
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Here is a transcript for the June 25 show:
MSNBC
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
11:44 PM ET
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Charlie, I want to back up one subject matter and to talk about the item in the previous segment. Fox News is on and virtually every mess hall and lounge in military bases foreign and domestic. So think about it, through the ranks they are going to hear Fox News refer to the chairman of the joint chiefs as a stupid pig. You wrote an open letter to your old Wisconsin friend, former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who is on the Fox board, asking him -- this was months ago, to push back. Did you ever hear back from him?
CHARLIE SYKES: No, unfortunately. Although I think the silence is rather eloquent. Look, you have -- I am glad you asked me about this. This was one of those extraordinary moments and we can't get numbed about what Tucker Carlson is doing and what Fox News is allowing to go over its airwaves. Think about this. You have this pampered man child trust fund baby calling a decorated veteran a pig and stupid. And you would think that people would step back and say, okay, I'm sorry, you can disagree with the man, but we are a party and a movement that has always prided ourselves on respect for the military, respect for what he has accomplished. Those stripes on his sleeve are not, you know, Venmo accounts. Those stripes on the sleeve are, you know, places that he has served his country. And it is interesting, as you pointed out.And it is interesting, the ongoing silence from other Republicans, the ongoing silence from other folks at Fox News, you know, I guess part of it -- and Bill and I were talking about this on our podcast this morning. It's just the -- it's the stupidity of it, the crudeness of it, the lack of patriotism, it’s the willingness to throw any value, anyone over, you know, under the bus, whether they are police officers or whether they are the military. But this is the norm that the Republican Party and the right and the conservative media have fallen into, they won't push back, won't stand up for this. They will mutter, they'll, you know, Brian, I'm having some flashbacks to 2015, 2016. They know that Donald Trump is a cancer on the party, but they are hoping that someone else will do something about it. Someone else will say something about it, something will come along to make this cup pass away. But their cowardice is on display again. If they don't stand up against him, you are going to see the crazy spread. And coming to Ohio, it’s is very interesting because he continues to target fellow Republicans. And he continues to up the ante, demanding more and more of them. So in Ohio you are seeing the crazed elements of the party competing with one another. You might end up losing a very winnable Senate seat because no one is willing to push back against what Donald Trump is doing to his fellow Republicans.
WILLIAMS: I will also add, we should never forget the goals of the foreign interests that are quietly all over our social media. They rhyme with Vladimir Putin. And those interests are to cause division in our society, weaken our alliances, weaken our military, among other things. Gentlemen, we will do this again for good reason.
