Continuing to bolster her resume as a deranged, Alex Jones-like conspiracy theorist, MSNBC’s ReidOut host Joy Reid continued to downplay and excuse the months of nationwide riots, insisting without evidence no one “from Black Lives Matter [has] been arrested for anything violent” and instead the issue rests with “documented right-wing…domestic terrorism.”
Reid also dabbled in the predictable and tiresome rhetoric smearing police officers but holding up the Mueller probe as admirable examples of law enforcement pursuing justice.
In the show’s c-block, Reid began by insisting Trump (and not her or progressives) “continued his campaign to rip the country apart today and, like any good instigator, he was flanked by his chosen hand, Attorney General Bill Barr, who he’s tasked with executing a retribution campaign against Black Lives Matter protesters.”
She also tarred and feathered Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) and followed the lead of fellow leftists like Nicolle Wallace: “They were greeted by Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, a man who lately seems to spend more time peddling Russian disinformation to try to make excuses for Trump than he does defending America.”
After Reid introduced panelists Alicia Garza of the Black to the Future Action Fund and Highland Center’s Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, Reid let loose with the falsehood that no one associated with the BLM movement has been arrested:
You have been at this for a long time under two different Presidents. What difference does it make if a President is actively refusing to condemn the violence of documented right-wing domestic, potentially domestic terrorism, but constantly harping on Black Lives Matter, none of whom, none of you, none of the activists from Black Lives Matter have been arrested for anything violent? What difference does it make within the movement? What difference does it make as the way the movement is viewed, in your view?
Reid made this utterance over the weekend and was promptly scorched, but by making it on television, it was clear that, as always, Reid doesn’t concern herself with facts in defending the violent BLM movement and organization.
We could be here all-night, but here are a few examples (click “expand”)
- On August 9, Minneapolis’s Fox affiliate reported that the much-publicized Minnesota Freedom Fund to bail out George Floyd rioters raised $35 million and recipients included “a suspect who shot at police, a woman accused of killing a friend, and a twice convicted sex offender.”
- In Aurora, Colorado, a white man was stabbed on August 25 while walking his dog and the man charged with murder allegedly shouted “black lives matter” before attacking him.
- In Green Bay, Wisconsin, an Antifa member was arrested on August 29 while carrying a flamethrower at a BLM event.
- Back on July 25 near the area formerly known as CHOP, Seattle police arrested more than two dozen Black Lives Matter rioters for acts of violence against police officers.
- And on June 8, the New York Post reported that over 700 police officers had been injured in riots across the country carried out in the name of George Floyd.
- On Saturday, a BLM leader said during a gathering at D.C.’s Black Lives Matter Plaza that he was “ready to put” police officers “in their graves.”
- The alleged suspect in Saturday’s deadly shooting of a Trump supporter identified as “100% Antifa,” posted on social media about his support for BLM, spent the night before the shooting at a protest outside the high-rise where Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) lives with his daughter (who was armed with a bat), and was cited July 5 by Portland police on a litany of criminal charges Fourth of July weekend (which were all dropped)
But for Reid, it’s all fake news.
Predictably, Garza and Henderson amplified Reid’s fear-mongering and lies that right-wing militias are lurking around the corner. And for good measure, the former peddled the falsehood that Trump called the coronavirus as “hoax,” (click “expand”):
GARZA: [T]his President has refused time and time again to decry white supremacist and white nationalist violence. He has refused to decry racial terrorism and so, as a result, what is happening is that he is also actually advancing conspiracy theories of the sort that we have seen on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and some of these accounts that have been rooted out through QAnon. This President is actually saying, these are very fine people, and that the real problem here are Black Lives Matter protesters who are fighting to ensure that black people have the same rights and dignity that everybody deserves and so this is a playbook. It’s a technically -- it’s a clear piece of Trump’s playbook, where he essentially uses violence, white nationalism, white supremacy, sexism, and any other tool he can use to distract from the fact that he is a terrible President, to distract from the fact that more than 150,000 people have died as a result of a pandemic that he called a liberal hoax. We have some reckoning to do for putting this man into office. And, in November, we have an opportunity to take him out.
(….)
HENDERSON: I think this is not the first time that we have seen the state use all of their power to stop public dissent and this is definitely not new to the black liberation movement in particular. It frustrates me and concerns me…[W]e are seeing more concern about folks that are exercising their First Amendment right to say that black people being murdered in the streets by police officers with impunity is OK -- is not OK, but what is OK is white supremacist organizations, white nationalist organizations, white paramilitary forces showing up to peaceful protests and murdering people.
(….)
GARZA: You know, our country is hurting right now and we need leadership that can sew this country back together and, right now, the person who is in office is doing everything he can to not only, you know, fear -- stir up fear and division and divisiveness between people who share a common vision for black lives mattering….He’s done everything he can to, you know, essentially turn Black Lives Matter into Hillary’s e-mails and now -- right -- we’re in a moment where our country could be led towards healing, and he’s continuing to try to lead us backwards and dismantle every single victory that so many of us from the 1960s on have marched for and fought for.
She began the show by projecting onto Trump an apt description for herself, declaring that he possesses “message of division and alternate reality” and has made “very clear exactly who’s side he’s on when it comes to police violence in America.”
“Before departing for Wisconsin, Trump, who has trashed federal law enforcement for doing their jobs and is an unindicted co-conspirator of his jailed former lawyer --- formerly jailed, former lawyer --- former told reporters that the trip was for law enforcement,” she added in a defense of what Trump supporters would call the Deep State.
In other words, Reid wants you to conclude that Peter Strzok was a good kind of cop, but police officers barely inside the middle class are scum of the earth.
After whining that Trump and “chief henchman, Attorney General William Barr” visited “a business damaged” in the Kenosha riots, Reid continued the liberal media-wide character assassination of Kyle Rittenhouse, decrying Trump for “actually defend[ing]…the armed, teenage vigilante.”
Rittenhouse was attacked and opened fire to defend himself, but go on, Joy.
Reid's disregard for facts was made possible by (and thus supported by) advertisers such as Advil, Allstate, Carvana, and Humira.
To see the relevant MSNBC transcript from September 1, click “expand.”
MSNBC’s The ReidOut
September 1, 2020
7:00 p.m. EasternJOY REID: Donald Trump took his message of division and alternate reality to Kenosha, Wisconsin, today, despite repeatedly being asked not to come and he made it very clear exactly who’s side he’s on when it comes to police violence in America. Before departing for Wisconsin, Trump, who has trashed federal law enforcement for doing their jobs and is an unindicted co-conspirator of his jailed former lawyer --- formerly jailed, former lawyer --- former told reporters that the trip was for law enforcement. At virtually the same time he arrived in Kenosha at the corner where 29-year-old Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a Kenosha police officer, Blake's family and activists held a community gathering in celebration, calling for justice for Jacob and promote healing in the community. But that's not the reality of Kenosha that Donald Trump wants you to see or to hear. Instead, Trump's first stop accompanied by his chief henchman, Attorney General William Barr, was to a business damaged in the protests that followed Blake's shooting. Then he met with local police officials. Trump did not meet with Blake's family during the visit. He didn't even actually say his name either. Instead, he did what New Yorkers would call a full Giuliani. He repeatedly praised and pledged his support for police and banging on for riots and unrest, accusing local elected officials of encouraging violent protests. A reminder, the vast majority of protests in Kenosha have been peaceful, and the violence came has come from an outside Trump supporter, who allegedly shot two people, three people actually, killing two of them. But go off, Trump.
PRESIDENT DOANLD TRUMP: Reckless far-left politicians continue to push the destructive message that our nation and our law enforcement are oppressive or racist and they’ll throw out any word that comes to them. Actually, we must give far greater support to our law enforcement.
REID: Trump's visit to Kenosha comes less than 24 hours after he not only refused to condemn but actually defended Kyle Rittenhouse, the armed teenage vigilante for whom Trump has been kind of sounding like outside counsel more than like a President. In an interview with Fox last night, and if you don’t --- you can't make this stuff up, Trump actually compared police officers who shoot people to golfers missing putts.
TRUMP [on FNC’s The Ingraham Angle, 08/31/20]: Shooting the guy in the back many times, I mean, couldn't you have done something different, couldn't you have wrestled him? You know, I mean, in --- in the meantime, he might've been going for a weapon. And, you know, there's a whole big thing there. But they choke, just like in a golf tournament, they miss a three-foot putt.
LAURA INGRAHAM [on FNC’s The Ingraham Angle, 08/31/20]: Not comparing to golf.
TRUMP [on FNC’s The Ingraham Angle, 08/31/20]: I'm saying people choke.
REID: Not even a friendly host could help him with that one and at his event in Wisconsin today, Trump once again attributed police violence to a few bad apples.
TRUMP: I think the police do an incredible job and I think you do have some bad apples. I think you'd agree every once in a while you see something. And you do have the other situation too where they're under this tremendous pressure and they don't handle it well. They call it choking. And it happens.
REID: Ooh. Trump went on to claim credit for deploying the National Guard to Kenosha, which he did not, in fact, do. That was actually Governor Tony Evers who authorized the use of the Guard to support local enforcement last week because it's actually governors who activate the National Guard. But of course, Trump wouldn't acknowledge that. And neither he nor anyone in his office reached out to the governor's office regarding his visit today.
(….)
7:23 p.m. Eastern
REID: Trump continued his campaign to rip the country apart today and, like any good instigator, he was flanked by his chosen hand, Attorney General Bill Barr, who he’s tasked with executing a retribution campaign against Black Lives Matter protesters. They were greeted by Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, a man who lately seems to spend more time peddling Russian disinformation to try to make excuses for Trump than he does defending America. Trump, who is squarely focused on promoting fear for his own self-interest, was asked a more consequential question about systematic racism today.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: We’re focusing on violent actions, but there have been countless nonviolent protests here in Wisconsin and across the country this summer, people calling for an end to systemic racism. Do you believe systemic racism is a problem in this country?
TRUMP: Well, you just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence that we’ve seen in Portland, and here, and other places. It’s tremendous violence.
REID: Given the opportunity to denounce violence, no matter where it comes from yesterday, Trump refused.
TRUMP [on 08/31/20]: That was an interesting situation. You saw the same tape as I saw and he was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like. And he fell, and then they very violently attacked him. And it was something that we’re looking at right now. I guess he was in very big trouble. He would have been -- I -- he probably would have been killed.
REID: But let’s not forget that, with Trump, it’s not a bug, but a feature of his personality.
TRUMP [on 08/15/17]: And you look at both sides, I think there’s blame on both sides. [SCREEN WIPE] You also had people that were very fine people on both sides.
REID: For more, I’m joined by Alicia Garza, principal of the Black to the Future Action Fund, and Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, co-executive director of the Highlander Center. Thank you both for being here and, Alicia, I’m going to start with you. You have been at this for a long time under two different Presidents. What difference does it make if a President is actively refusing to condemn the violence of documented right-wing domestic, potentially domestic terrorism, but constantly harping on Black Lives Matter, none of whom, none of you, none of the activists from Black Lives Matter have been arrested for anything violent? What difference does it make within the movement? What difference does it make as the way the movement is viewed, in your view?
ALICIA GARZA: Well, let me first say that one of the things that is so incredibly important for people to understand and just to underscore is that this President has refused time and time again to decry white supremacist and white nationalist violence. He has refused to decry racial terrorism and so, as a result, what is happening is that he is also actually advancing conspiracy theories of the sort that we have seen on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and some of these accounts that have been rooted out through QAnon. This President is actually saying, these are very fine people, and that the real problem here are Black Lives Matter protesters who are fighting to ensure that black people have the same rights and dignity that everybody deserves and so this is a playbook. It’s a technically -- it’s a clear piece of Trump’s playbook, where he essentially uses violence, white nationalism, white supremacy, sexism, and any other tool he can use to distract from the fact that he is a terrible President, to distract from the fact that more than 150,000 people have died as a result of a pandemic that he called a liberal hoax. We have some reckoning to do for putting this man into office. And, in November, we have an opportunity to take him out.
REID: Michael Schmidt has a new book out, in which one of the things that we learn is that Donald Trump was so determined to have Hillary Clinton prosecuted, just because, I guess, he just can’t stand her and decided he wanted to shame her by using prosecution and then when he was told, well, he really can’t do that, he was like, well, can I use my own powers? Well, is there some power in the presidency, because his then-attorney general wouldn’t do it? We’re now learning that he might be at that again, but this time focused on Black Lives Matter. Here’s Chad Wolf, who is the Department of Homeland Security secretary. And here he was on Fox News with Tucker Carlson this week.
TUCKER CARLSON [on FNC’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, 08/31/20]: Why haven’t we seen the leaders of Antifa and BLM arrested and charged for conspiracy under, say, RICO, like the heads of the mafia families were?
ACTING DHS SECRETARY CHAD WOLF [on FNC’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, 08/31/20]: Well, this is something I have talked to the A.G. personally about, and I know that they are working on it. But, again, this administration, this President is committed to holding individuals accountable.
REID: "It’s something that I have talked to Attorney General Barr personally about, and I know that they are working on it." Umm, Ash-Lee, is this something that now Black Lives Matter leaders have to be worried about, that, regardless of the fact that they’d have no reason to do it, that William Barr might try to go after Black Lives Matter leaders, to persecute them, to prosecute them, to -- are you worried about it?
ASH-LEE WOODARD HENDERSON: I think this is not the first time that we have seen the state use all of their power to stop public dissent and this is definitely not new to the black liberation movement in particular. It frustrates me and concerns me that, as a person who has survived a white supremacist terrorist attack at the Highlander Center, that we are seeing more concern about folks that are exercising their First Amendment right to say that black people being murdered in the streets by police officers with impunity is OK -- is not OK, but what is OK is white supremacist organizations, white nationalist organizations, white paramilitary forces showing up to peaceful protests and murdering people. I think that it is absolutely a concern of the Movement for Black Lives and our folks and sister organizations like Black Lives Matter, which is a member of the Movement for Black Lives and I think that is something we’re taking seriously. However, if the attempt to say these things in the press is to scare us away from actually doing what is right, standing and pushing the moral arc of the universe towards justice, and doing everything in our power to build healthy, sustainable and equitable communities for all people, they are misinformed; 350 million people all across this country have said that enough is enough and we believe that is making what was impossible yesterday possible today.
(….)
7:32 p.m. Eastern
GARZA: You know, our country is hurting right now and we need leadership that can sew this country back together and, right now, the person who is in office is doing everything he can to not only, you know, fear -- stir up fear and division and divisiveness between people who share a common vision for black lives mattering, including Breonna Taylor’s life, but he is also sending a signal that there actually are some people who are above law and order. This President has said that he is all about law and order, but what he actually means is he’s for law and order for some and not for others. He’s done everything he can to, you know, essentially turn Black Lives Matter into Hillary’s e-mails and now -- right -- we’re in a moment where our country could be led towards healing, and he’s continuing to try to lead us backwards and dismantle every single victory that so many of us from the 1960s on have marched for and fought for.
