White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany closed out Wednesday’s briefing with a short yet stinging rebuke of the press corps for having failed to ask a single question about Tuesday’s Abraham Accords, which wouldn’t have been the case if it were brokered and signed during the Obama administration.
During the 20 minutes that made up the Q&A portion, there were at least 41 questions from a minimum of 14 reporters on topics such as China, the coronavirus pandemic, the election, Hurricane Sally, immigration, masks, taxes, TikTok, and trade.
But yet again, there was nothing on the landmark deal with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates affirming Israel’s right to exist and normalizing relations.
McEnany had just taken a question about HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Michael Caputo taking a leave of absence and said she wouldn’t comment on the announcement, but what she would “weigh into is the Middle East peace deal signed yesterday, that I did not receive a single question about, that was the first time it’s happened in a quarter of a century.”
She then pointed out the obvious: “If Obama and Biden had achieved this, it would look a lot different.”
Kayleigh was absolutely right, and a quick perusing of the NewsBusters archives would back her up when it came to coverage of the Obama administration’s Iran nuclear deal.
Hours after it was announced on July 14, 2015, the broadcast networks trumpeted the “historic nuclear deal” as “a major victory” and “top diplomatic priority” achieved by Obama. That evening, ABC, CBS, and NBC combined to gush over the “jubilant” negotiators “charting a new course” and “moment of history.”
And on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow called it “the major foreign policy achievement, not only of this presidency, but of this American generation” to remind the world why Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Maddow’s colleague Chris Hayes was similarly enthused, saying an hour before her that the deal would go down as “a potentially transformative moment for American foreign policy.”
By the next morning (July 15, 2015), celebrations continued as NBC’s Peter Alexander boasted of the “legacy-defining deal for President Obama” while ABC’s Amy Robach touted “celebrations on the streets of Iran.”
Back in 2020, McEnany highlighted two examples of the reaction in the liberal media to Trump’s deals and closed with a swipe at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
You wouldn’t have Chuck Todd saying he’s ‘uncomfortable’ with the deal that brings peace between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and Bahrain. You wouldn’t have CBS calling it “a business deal” and you wouldn’t have Nancy Pelosi calling it a “distraction.” Maybe it’s a distraction from her visits to the hair salon, but those were significant agreements. First time in the quarter of a century. Three peace deals in 29 days. Took 26 years for the prior two peace deals. So this, the Nobel Peace Prize nomination for the President, two of them, very well-deserved.
As she left the room, all that could be heard was carnival barker, Playboy reporter, and former CNNer Brian Karem shouting this juvenile question: “Kayleigh, if he's a law and order President, why does he keep breaking the law?”
With this having been a press briefing, there were no commercials to discuss as having sponsored their left-wing propaganda. However, you can still go here to check out the MRC's Conservatives Fight Back page to see many of the advertisers that support the work of ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, and NBC.
To see the relevant transcript from September 16's briefing, click “expand.”
White House Press Briefing
September 16, 2020
1:54 p.m. EasternKAYLEIGH MCENANY: But what I will weigh into is the Middle East peace deal signed yesterday, that I did not receive a single question about, that was the first time it’s happened in a quarter of a century. If Obama and Biden had achieved this, it would look a lot different. You wouldn’t have Chuck Todd saying he’s “uncomfortable” with the deal that brings peace between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and Bahrain. You wouldn’t have CBS calling it “a business deal” and you wouldn’t have Nancy Pelosi calling it a “distraction.” Maybe it’s a distraction from her visits to the hair salon, but those were significant agreements. First time in the quarter of a century. Three peace deals in 29 days. Took 26 years for the prior two peace deals. So this, the Nobel Peace Prize nomination for the President, two of them, very well-deserved. Thank you.
BRIAN KAREM: Kayleigh, if he's a law and order President, why does he keep breaking the law?
