On Saturday's AM Joy on MSNBC, after NewsMax's J.D. Hayworth appeared on a panel where he was outnumbered by liberals 3:1, host Joy Reid repeatedly attempted to race-bait the former Republican congressman with stories that ranged from false to misleading, and ended up kicking him off the show when she was dissatisfied with how he answered her questions. Reid: "I think we're done with this segment because you literally answered a non sequitur that's incredibly offensive. I'm going to let Rosie Perez talk about the -- thank you for being here. No, you know what, what an odd exchange."
During her exchanges with Hayworth, after not mentioning the violent criminal record of an illegal immigrant who was recently arrested by ICE in El Paso, Texas, while trying to get court protection for domestic abuse, Reid ended up wrongly claiming that Hispanic Democratic members of Congress were targeted for exclusion from a meeting about immigration enforcement when, in reality, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus was invited to attend as one of only a limited number of congressional guests allowed admittance.
At 11:08 a.m. ET, NPR's Maria Hinojosa brought up Hayworth's "privilege" of being a white man as she hit him for being dismissive of the Left's concerns about enforcing immigration laws: Hinojosa, formerly a CNN correspondent, complained: "To say that there's a hysterical, and that we all need to calm down, with all due respect, you can say that and because of your position of privilege, excuse me, as a white man."
A bit later, she ranted:
Are all of us who are not white going to be asked to show our papers? That is what this President has done. He has created a situation where you can sit back and say that we're being hysterical, but I ask you: When have you spoken to an undocumented immigrant in the last three days, four days, to ask them what it feels like to be terrorized in their own country. You have not done that, have you? Have you? How many friends of yours are undocumented immigrants?
After Hayworth recalled that, on his travels near the border, he has in fact been stopped by border police and asked about his citizenship, leading to the liberal panel members still dismissing his experiences, Reid switched to asking about the case of a transgender illegal immigrant in El Paso arrested at a courthouse. Reid began:
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There was an arrest of an immigrant who went in to seek domestic violence protection. This was somebody in El Paso County in Texas, and their stop was in a hearing that went from extraordinary to unprecedented last week when half a dozen Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up at a courthouse where an undocumented woman was seeking a protective order against the boyfriend she accused of abusing her, and she left under arrest.
The MSNBC host added: "Do you have any discomfort, J.D., with the idea that somebody showed up to try to get protection for domestic violence and was instead swarmed on essentially by six ICE agents and arrested?"
Reid did not mention that the illegal immigrant in question has a history of being convicted of violent crime, which is consistent with ICE putting a priority on going after dangerous criminals.
After her Republican guest brought up the Hispanic gang MS-13, Reid blew a gasket as she shot back: "You know, J.D., you know what, okay, hold on, you talked earlier about false narratives. You just answered my question about a specific arrest with an attempt to talk about Latino-on-Latino violence, so essentially you're trying to ascribe violence to an entire race of people -- ethnicity -- an ethnic group -- as the answer to my question? That is not the answer to my question. That's a non sequitur. It was a non sequitur."
The MSNBC host then switched to recounting misleading complaints by far-left Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez -- who represents parts of Chicago -- that Congressional Hispanic Caucus members were barred from a meeting:
Why specifically would Latino members of Congress be denied access to a meeting about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, particularly, when these were members who were specifically concerned about this, and we're the ones who raised those concerns. Why would they be kept out of the meeting?
In fact, according to Politico, only 10 Democratic members of Congress were invited to attend the meeting, which did include the chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.
After Hayworth, a former congressman, theorized about why some members might have been excluded from the meeting, Reid repeated the misinformation that only Hispanics were excluded as she followed up: "But they are the ones who were asking the questions. So you're saying you don't find it odd that only Latino Democrats were kept out of that meeting. You don't think that that's strange?"
Additionally, Politico reports that there will be another meeting in the future which will allow the attendance of more congressional members.
After the former Republican congressman questioned whether her version of the story was accurate, Reid doubled down: "It is according to Luis Gutierrez."
Hayworth then began to complain about the pattern of liberals trying to insert race into political discussions, and started to cite Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren's recent accusations of racism against Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Hayworth: "But I understand, well, I'll tell you, we'll take it out of -- we'll take it our of the ethnicity, although that's tough when you take a look at the stunt that Elizabeth Warren pulled, and we know that she falsely claimed to be American-Indian-"
After Reid injected, "What does Elizabeth Warren have to do with anything?" Hayworth continued: "Well, because it's another stunt in the Senate to set up aggrieved class-"
At this point, the MSNBC host went over the edge and seemed to believe that Senator Warren really did have a Native-American heritage as she began ranting:
Wait a minute, okay, J.D., can I just tell you something? We're going to end here, but, sir, sir, sir, you've talked about strawmen, but twice now you've answered questions with non sequiturs that have some sort of an ethnic base to them. Now, you've gone after Elizabeth Warren's Native-American heritage, which is a complete non sequitur.
After Hayworth injected, "She has none," an exasperated Reid decided to kick her Republican guest off the show:
I think we're done with this segment because you literally answered a non sequitur that's incredibly offensive. I'm going to let Rosie Perez talk about the -- thank you for being here. No, you know what, what an odd exchange. Odd non sequiturs. I want to talk to you for a second, Rosie Perez. Thank you. Wow.
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Saturday, February 18, AM Joy on MSNBC:
11:08 a.m. ET
MARIA HINOJOSA: To say that there's a hysterical, and that we all need to calm down, with all due respect, you can say that and because of your position of privilege, excuse me, as a white man. So, yes, I'm sorry to say that to you because...(...)
HINOJOSA: You need to listen because you will not be stopped and questioned at any point as to whether or not you have papers or you have legitimacy to be in this country. And what has happened from the members of Congress who tweeted that out, for example, Joaquin Castro who said, "I believe now that every single undocumented immigrant is at risk." So of course -- myself being an immigrant who was not born in this country -- and as I'm looking at that and then getting on the subway and I'm like, so what exactly is going to happen here?
Are all of us who are not white going to be asked to show our papers? That is what this President has done. He has created a situation where you can sit back and say that we're being hysterical, but I ask you: When have you spoken to an undocumented immigrant in the last three days, four days, to ask them what it feels like to be terrorized in their own country. You have not done that, have you? Have you? How many friends of yours are undocumented immigrants?
(...)
JOY REID: There was an arrest of an immigrant who went in to seek domestic violence protection. This was somebody in El Paso County in Texas, and their stop was in a hearing that went from extraordinary to unprecedented last week when half a dozen Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up at a courthouse where an undocumented woman was seeking a protective order against the boyfriend she accused of abusing her, and she left under arrest. Do you have any discomfort, J.D., with the idea that somebody showed up to try to get protection for domestic violence and was instead swarmed on essentially by six ICE agents and arrested?
FORMER REP. J.D. HAYWORTH (R-AZ): I have a greater degree of discomfort with the Latino-on-Latino violence in the Washington, D.C., area where a 15-year-old was savagely attacked by members of MS-13. I have a greater concern about law-breaking and violence than I do about a situation where people have disobeyed immigration laws.
REID: You know, J.D., you know what, okay, hold on, you talked earlier about false narratives. You just answered my question about a specific arrest with an attempt to talk about Latino-on-Latino violence, so essentially you're trying to ascribe violence to an entire race of people -- ethnicity -- an ethnic group -- as the answer to my question? That is not the answer to my question. That's a non sequitur. It was a non sequitur.
HAYWORTH: No, no, I'm not. I'm simply using a descriptive term. I know because you want me to sit here flummoxed. The MSNBC script is to have a conservative on and treat them as the evil one, tell them to be quiet.
REID: We don't tell you what to say, sir. If you come across poorly, it's because of what you said, not because of the questions that you're being asked.
(...)REID: Why specifically would Latino members of Congress be denied access to a meeting about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, particularly, when these were members who were specifically concerned about this, and we're the ones who raised those concerns. Why would they be kept out of the meeting?
HAYWORTH: Well, here is what I would offer as conjecture. I was not there, but I have been in plenty of security briefings where there is a list, where you work to put yourself on a schedule. And my friend Luis (Gutierrez) was apparently not put on the list to come into the briefing, as were others, and so a decision was made-
REID: But they are the ones who were asking the questions. So you're saying you don't find it odd that only Latino Democrats were kept out of that meeting. You don't think that that's strange?
HAYWORTH: I don't believe that that narrative is exactly the case. I think there's probably more to it.
REID: It is according to Luis Gutierrez.
HAYWORTH: But I understand, well, I'll tell you, we'll take it out of -- we'll take it our of the ethnicity, although that's tough when you take a look at the stunt that Elizabeth Warren pulled, and we know that she falsely claimed to be American-Indian-
REID: What does Elizabeth Warren have to do with anything?
HAYWORTH: Well, because it's another stunt in the Senate to set up aggrieved class-
REID: Wait a minute, okay, J.D., can I just tell you something? We're going to end here, but, sir, sir, sir, you've talked about strawmen, but twice now you've answered questions with non sequiturs that have some sort of an ethnic base to them. Now, you've gone after Elizabeth Warren's Native-American heritage, which is a complete non sequitur.
HAYWORTH: She has none. She has none.
REID: I think we're done with this segment because you literally answered a non sequitur that's incredibly offensive. I'm going to let Rosie Perez talk about the -- thank you for being here. No, you know what, what an odd exchange. Odd non sequiturs. I want to talk to you for a second, Rosie Perez. Thank you. Wow.
