Sure, go ahead and argue CNN interviews with elected officials have been dominated by Democrats because they say yes. But upon closer review, however, one will see examples of why Republicans skip out on this home for Resistance viewpoints. New York Republican Congressman Tom Reed’s appearance on CNN’s Wolf Thursday afternoon is perhaps the newest.
Right from the start, host Wolf Blitzer emptied the bin of liberal talking points, asking questions of the Upstate New York Congressman ranging from wondering if America is in a “constitutional crisis” to questioning Donald Trump’s mental state to be President to arguing that Republicans have abdicated their responsibility to reign in (read: impeach) the President.
Blitzer started with this humdinger:
So with the administration saying they are basically trying to save the country, this administration official, from the President of the United States, you've read the article in The New York Times, this senior Trump administration official, do you believe all of this is leading up to a constitutional crisis?
Reed blasted this notion, so Blitzer followed up by wondering why not considering the upcoming Bob Woodward book and, again, Reed tossed aside this fearmongering.
Following a question about what Reed made of Trump’s tweet wondering if the author of the anonymous New York Times op-ed was treasonous, Reed replied that it was “an act of cowardice” by the individual that’s giddily pushed by the media.
Blitzer went next to Brian Stelter’s favorite topic, which is Trump’s state of being and, after that, Trump’s feud with Attorney General Jeff Sessions (click “expand” for more):
BLITZER: Are you concerned about the President's fitness right now? Yes, the markets are up, the job numbers are good, the economy is moving along, but are you concerned at all, Congressman, about the President's fitness, some of the things he's done, some of the way he's behaved?
REED: Well, you know, I — he's a disrupter. That's what he campaigned on and I know that causes a lot of anxiety and fear and we'll weigh in with our relationship with the White House to express our concerns, but right now I see him delivering on what he was going to bring to Washington, D.C., that disruption this city needed.
BLITZER: Well, are you okay with the way, for example, he's treated the Attorney General of the United States, Jeff Sessions, humiliating him, berating him, going after him almost on a daily basis?
The CNN host then pivoted to demanding Reed comment on whether he’s “okay with the way, for example, he praises Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, the way he praises Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, at the same time he's really going after some of America's closest allies, NATO allies, including Canada.”
Towards the end of the interview, he didn’t even ask a question but instead complained how the Republican-controlled House of Representatives hasn’t stuck it to President Trump: “Because the Republican leadership in the House has basically walked away, as far as any serious oversight of the — of the executive branch of the U.S. government is concerned, at least for now. The Senate, they're still doing it. But in the House, it's been silent.”
Whether it’s Blitzer’s near-daily chats with House Democrats (such as ones with Steve Cohen and Bill Nelson), fretting about Jim Acosta getting booed at a Trump rally, or haranguing Republicans James Lankford, Rick Scott, and Chris Stewart, Blitzer’s interviews in the Trump era show the GOP will be ostracized if they appear on Jeff Zucker’s network while Democrats can appear with little fear of being grilled.
To see the relevant transcript from CNN’s Wolf on September 6, click “expand.”
CNN’s Wolf
September 6, 2018
1:05 p.m. Eastern
WOLF BLITZER: So with the administration saying they are basically trying to save the country, this administration official, from the President of the United States, you've read the article in The New York Times, this senior Trump administration official, do you believe all of this is leading up to a constitutional crisis?
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN TOM REED (NY): I do not because all you have to do is look at the record. If you look at what the President is delivering upon and when you have an anonymous source as somehow the thing that's going to start a constitutional crisis, that just to me is partisan politics. That's politics out of Washington, D.C.
BLITZER: But what about all the others in the Bob Woodward book who seem to be backing up that same position? They're so worried about U.S. national security. They're so worried about this President. They're staying on — in their jobs to try to protect the country from the commander in chief.
REED: Wolf, we're almost two years into this administration, and by this time, all the naysayers, the Never Trumpers, everybody that was opposed to this administration said we were going to be in a nuclear war, that there would be chaos throughout the world and look what we're getting, economic prosperity and opportunity here at home. We're seeing peace and stability across the world and it's not going according to their plan and this is why this is only going to get louder and louder, this rhetoric coming out of Washington, D.C.
BLITZER: The op — is the op-ed article in The New York Times an act of treason, as the President seems to think? You saw that tweet where he just wrote in all caps, treason, with a question mark.
REED: I think it's an act of cowardice. I think if you're just going to stand by an unsigned statement and then also a news media that is going to print that as actual news, that is not how the freedom of the press is supposed to work, nor is that how a person who is so committed to boldly be a part of this resistance that they can't even put their name on the piece of paper. That speaks volumes to me as to who these individuals are.
BLITZER: Are you concerned about the President's fitness right now? Yes, the markets are up, the job numbers are good, the economy is moving along, but are you concerned at all, Congressman, about the President's fitness, some of the things he's done, some of the way he's behaved?
REED: Well, you know, I — he's a disrupter. That's what he campaigned on and I know that causes a lot of anxiety and fear and we'll weigh in with our relationship with the White House to express our concerns, but right now I see him delivering on what he was going to bring to Washington, D.C., that disruption this city needed.
BLITZER: Well, are you okay with the way, for example, he's treated the Attorney General of the United States, Jeff Sessions, humiliating him, berating him, going after him almost on a daily basis?
REED: Wolf, I have publicly disagreed with the President. I have also talked with the White House where I've disagreed and expressed my concern and I think that's the more appropriate way to — when you're talking about style and the way words come out of the White House, to express your disagreement with him. But, at the end of the day, I look at the policies. I look at the opportunity that he's delivering for the American people and what this administration is doing and I think, on the net overall picture, it's a positive picture that's being put forward across the world and here in America.
BLITZER: Are you okay with the way, for example, he praises Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, the way he praises Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, at the same time he's really going after some of America's closest allies, NATO allies, including Canada?
REED: I appreciate how the administration is bringing Kim Jong-un to the table so that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is what we achieve. I appreciate holding Russia accountable and, you know, I've expressed my disagreement with embracing the Russian leader and expressed how I think he's an adversary to America, not a friend and so we'll continue to express our disagreement. But, overall, look at the policy, look at the results for the American people, Wolf.
BLITZER: Is the — is the Robert Mueller, the special counsel probe, is it, from your perspective, a witch hunt, a ruse?
REED: No, I don't believe that to be a case. I believe, though, the investigation needs to come to a closure. The charge was to determine whether there was collusion with Russia and it's been a year and a half, millions of dollars — of taxpayers dollars being spent. Let's get to those answers. Let's get to the answer of that charge and let the other systems, the other portions of the Justice Department deal with the other issues that the investigation seems to be evolving into.
BLITZER: Well, we don't know what Mueller has come up with. He hasn't released his report. So you want him to finish it, get the job done, and then you'll study the report?
REED: Absolutely.
BLITZER: We don't know how much evidence he has of a conspiracy between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government.
REED: And that's why we have to get to a conclusion. If that collusion is there, I haven't seen any evidence of that. I — I don't see any evidence coming out of the Mueller investigation and this town is known to leak and we're not seeing that type of information. Bottom line is, let's get this investigation closed and move on to the next chapter, delivering for the people back home.
BLITZER: I will say this as somebody who's been a journalist here in Washington for a long time, the Mueller team, they have avoided leaks. It's hard to get any information at all from those investigators and those prosecutors. Let me play something that we heard from Speaker of the House Paul Ryan today. He said he sees no role for the House of Representatives in investigating who wrote the op-ed and he said this also. Listen.
HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN: I know the President is very unconventional and I know his tweeting and unconventional tactics bother people, but the results of government are good results and what are we — we're in a different branch of government and our branch of government is in charge of making sure that we pass good laws that improve people's lives.
BLITZER: But doesn't the House of Representatives also have a critically important oversight role?
REED: I would agree and obviously, we have an oversight role in the House to make sure that if there's any laws being broken, that they're pursued and that we hold people accountable in the administration, this administration and others. But, at the end of the day, our mission needs to be focused on the evidence, needs to be focused on delivering for the American people. So I agree with the Speaker's sentiment, that our number one mission should be adopting policies and repealing laws that are hurting people and adopt politics to help people.
BLITZER: Because the Republican leadership in the House has basically walked away, as far as any serious oversight of the — of the executive branch of the U.S. government is concerned, at least for now. The Senate, they're still doing it. But in the House, it's been silent.
REED: Well, you know, I'll let the investigative committees and the folks that are leading those charges speak for the results of them, but I believe, you know, that oversight role is in the House of Representatives. I do support that and we’ll pursue that where necessary, in my opinion.
BLITZER: We'll see what happens. Alright, Congressman Reed, always good of you to join us. Thanks very much.
REED: Great to be with you, Wolf.
