At about 9:15 p.m. during MSNBC's live coverage of the Republican National Convention, NBC correspondent Ron Mott omitted the word "illegal" as he pressed Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on whether her "hardline stance on immigration" had hurt her politically with Hispanic voters.
Moments later, MSNBC's Chris Matthews jumped in to challenge her on her position in favor of deporting those who have entered the country illegally.
The segment with Brewer ironically aired while the network ignored a speech delivered by Puerto Rico's Republican governor, Luis Fortuno, as he spoke between 9:12 and 9:19 p.m. But FNC notably was the only cable news network to carry even a portion of the speech, although most of it was preempted by an interview with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. FNC used a split screen to show that Fortuno was speaking for several minutes while less than a minute of the speech was shown after the interview with Christie concluded.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of MSNBC's convention coverage from Wednesday, August 29:
RON MOTT: I want to talk to you about immigration and the fairly significant gap in support among Hispanics for President Obama and Governor Romney. You've taken a pretty hardline stance on immigration. How concerned are you that that stance may have cost you that support not just for this election cycle but for maybe for many election cycles to come?
[JAN BREWER]
(...)
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Governor Brewer, I want to ask you about a compromise. It seems to me that Republicans take a position which is unrealistic send everybody in this country here without papers, everyone without documents back where they came from. The Democrats, for their problem. You can't hear me? Well, that's convenient. Can you hear me, Governor?
BREWER: I got tons of static.
MATTHEWS: I'm asking a tough question. Maybe you can relay it to her. Here's the question: How about a deal? She stops talking about sending everybody here without papers home, including 12 million people being deported, in exchange for the Democrats finally getting serious about some kind of work permit that they actually enforce for coming to work in this country? Would she go for a deal that would really stop illegal immigration? Or will she continue to posture that she wants to throw everybody out of the country who's here without papers?
MOTT: So what Chris is asking is: Are you open to a deal where that you would pull back from pushing that people who are here illegally be sent back home in exchange for what the Democrats are asking for is some sort of work permit program that would allow those that are staying here in this country who are productive citizens of this country that you can work out a compromise to keep them here?
