A day before she accused Trump’s legal team of engaging in “sedition,” MSNBC’s ReidOut host Joy Reid managed on Wednesday to mangle an on-air correction (after being called out by NewsBusters), shout down a Black ex-Trump aide, smear White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and imply criticism of Susan Rice was racist. (Video forthcoming)
20 minutes into the show, Reid attempted to clean up her lie from Tuesday’s show that Moderna and Pfizer are not a part of Operation Warp Speed:
Today, Pfizer announced that its vaccine is 95 percent effective at preventing the disease and that it plans to ask the FDA for emergency authorization within days. Moderna announced a similar success rate. And I should correct what we reported last night. Moderna did receive funding from the administration's Operation Warp Speed to develop the vaccine. Pfizer did not.
While Reid cleaned up her lie about Moderna, she still left the water muddied on Pfizer. In reality, Pfizer has been involved with Operation Warp Speed and, while they did not take money at the onset while developing the vaccine, will be accepting government money once it formally comes out.
Fast-forward another 20 minutes and, after a fruitless back-and-forth with former Trump aide Ja’Ron Smith about election lawsuits, Reid demanded he explain how he “reconcile[s]” being “a black man in this country and a voter [with] the fact that your party, the Republican Party, continually is focusing on and going after and trying to invalidate the votes of black people in Detroit, in Atlanta, in Milwaukee, and only doing that in places where black people vote?”
Smith tried to answer, but it never got anywhere with Reid’s petty nonsense and hate for people that disagree with her taking over (click “expand”):
SMITH: Well, I would validate that Trump got the biggest vote tally of African-American voters in 60 years. 60 years we've had the best number of non-white voters since Nixon. And so I think all these —
REID: No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no. I'm asking you. Hold on a second. Donald Trump — do you know what percentage of the black vote he got? Do you know what it was?
SMITH: I’m saying he got 12 percent.
REID: Okay you don't know. Let me ask you — let me ask you — I'm going to ask you again — I’m going to reask you the same question —
SMITH: Well, I mean — we’re — we’re — we’re —
REID: — just as a black person in this country, how do you feel about —
[INAUDIBLE SMITH]
REID: — how do you feel about this campaign going after the cities where black people vote? Don't you think that is racist?
SMITH: I mean, you're not even allowing me to talk and respond to you. I'm — I’m happy to answer your questions, but if you're going to cut me off in the middle of it, we're not going to have a productive conversation. Look, you asked me if —
REID: I just need you to answer the question.
SMITH: — yeah, but I'm trying to answer the questions. These things aren't —
REID: Okay.
SMITH: — these things are significant and I want to talk about them from a policy point of view because that's how I look at things. Look, I'm going to wait for the election to kind of play its course, just like every other election that we've done in our lifetime. If — if — if the President had more vote tallies and Biden has been behind and Biden was contesting the vote, we would be waiting for all that to finish and we’ll let the states certify and then we'll move on as a country. That happens. As it relates to these cities —
REID: But do — but —
SMITH: — as it relates to these cities and the voter turnout, a huge percentage of African-American voters voted for Trump. An historical [sic] number of African-Americans —
REID: No, no, no. That — sir, hold on — do you seriously think that — hold on — do you seriously —
SMITH: — in these cities — in these cities —
REID: — think the reason that —
SMITH: — white Americans voted for Biden.
REID: — do you think that the reason that the trump campaign is going after Detroit and going after Atlanta is because these people all voted for trump?
[SMITH’s MIC CUT]
REID: Are you trying to tell me that you think that's why they're going after these cities —
SMITH: I’m not saying that at all.
REID: — because they voted for trump? That's what you think?
SMITH: No, that I'm saying is I don't think it's racist at all, joy, because everybody in Detroit is not black.
REID: You don't?
SMITH: There are some white voters in Detroit too.
REID: The vast majority of people in Detroit voted for Joe Biden.
SMITH: Listen, all I'm saying — you're asking me about racism in these different counties. I'm not for suppressing the vote. I’m [INAUDIBLE]. I want everybody's vote to count. I encourage voter — I'm not for voter suppression. So I can't really speak to that.
REID: Good.
SMITH: but what I would say is that —
REID: Okay?
SMITH: — in all of these cities, you know, they're not all-black cities. They have white voters there, too, so we're looking at everyone's vote —
REID: Okay.
SMITH: — and making sure everyone votes. I think that's what the Trump administration's looking at. It's not a race thing. You had [MIC CUT]
REID: We'll leave it. It is because these cities are where black people live, but it doesn't bother you. I think you have made that very clear.
Things got even dumber when she attacked McEnany as having as much credibility “as a degree from Trump University.”
Reid then played six separate statements from McEnany and, whether it was asserting the President has denounced “white supremacy and racism,” noting his support for gay Americans, or how models showed the possibility of two million coronavirus deaths, her examples were anything but lies.
Still, Reid claimed afterward that Biden will have to “restore trust in the Oval Office after four years of lies, corruption, conspiracy theories and Twitter rants” with help from whomever he chooses as press secretary.
And during the said discussion about possible Biden administration picks, Rice’s name was mentioned because Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) had called her the “Typhoid Mary of the Obama administration’s foreign policy.”
With help from resident phishing scam victim John Podesta, Reid suggested a sitting Senator didn’t have room to disagree with an administration’s appointments (click “expand”):
REID: You know, I want to also play Tom Cotton, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Mr. Podesta, speaking about another black woman who has been talked about as somebody who might be in the administration, one Susan Rice. Take a listen.
COTTON [on 11/17/20]: I cannot imagine a Republican Senate confirming Susan rice to any position. Remember, Susan Rice is the Typhoid Mary of the Obama administration foreign policy.
REID: First of all, who is Tom Cotton to tell Joe Biden — President-Elect Joe Biden what to do, number one? And what do you make of that kind of characterization of someone who is actually an esteemed foreign policy voice?
PODESTA: Well, you are exactly right, Joy. I think it’s really despicable they continue to go after Susan. She served this country with distinction as ambassador to the U.S. — U.N., United Nations, as national security adviser, the whole charge against her is trumped up. And I think that I worked with her both in the Clinton administration and the Obama administration. She's tremendously skilled. She’d be a great asset to the Biden/Harris administration and I hope they don't listen, certainly to Tom Cotton who, frankly, doesn't know what he is talking about.
“Who is Tom Cotton to tell Joe Biden — President-Elect Joe Biden what to do?” Well, Joy, Article II, Section 2 gives Cotton and 99 other people in America the right to do so:
[The president] shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States[.]
Oops.
Joy’s potpourri of hate was brought to you by advertisers such as ADT, Chevrolet, and Dove. Follow the links to the MRC’s Conservative Fight Back page.
To see the relevant MSNBC transcript from November 18, click “expand.”
MSNBC’s The ReidOut
November 18, 2020
7:20 p.m. EasternJOY REID: Today, Pfizer announced that its vaccine is 95 percent effective at preventing the disease and that it plans to ask the FDA for emergency authorization within days. Moderna announced a similar success rate. And I should correct what we reported last night. Moderna did receive funding from the administration's Operation Warp Speed to develop the vaccine. Pfizer did not.
(....)
7:40 p.m. Eastern
REID: Okay, let me ask you this question — well — no, no, no — let me just — hold on, we don't have a ton of time. How do you reconcile as a black man in this country — how do you reconcile as a black man in this country — wait, hold on, hold on — how do you reconcile as a black man in this country and a voter the fact that your party, the Republican party, continually is focusing on and going after and trying to invalidate the votes of black people in Detroit, in Atlanta, in Milwaukee, and only doing that in places where black people vote?
JA’RON SMITH: Well, I would validate that Trump got the biggest vote tally of African-American voters in 60 years. 60 years we've had the best number of non-white voters since Nixon. And so I think all these —
REID: No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no. I'm asking you. Hold on a second. Donald Trump — do you know what percentage of the black vote he got? Do you know what it was?
SMITH: I’m saying he got 12 percent.
REID: Okay you don't know. Let me ask you — let me ask you — I'm going to ask you again — I’m going to reask you the same question —
SMITH: Well, I mean — we’re — we’re — we’re —
REID: — just as a black person in this country, how do you feel about —
[INAUDIBLE SMITH]
REID: — how do you feel about this campaign going after the cities where black people vote? Don't you think that is racist?
SMITH: I mean, you're not even allowing me to talk and respond to you. I'm — I’m happy to answer your questions, but if you're going to cut me off in the middle of it, we're not going to have a productive conversation. Look, you asked me if —
REID: I just need you to answer the question.
SMITH: — yeah, but I'm trying to answer the questions. These things aren't —
REID: Okay.
SMITH: — these things are significant and I want to talk about them from a policy point of view because that's how I look at things. Look, I'm going to wait for the election to kind of play its course, just like every other election that we've done in our lifetime. If — if — if the President had more vote tallies and Biden has been behind and Biden was contesting the vote, we would be waiting for all that to finish and we’ll let the states certify and then we'll move on as a country. That happens. As it relates to these cities —
REID: But do — but —
SMITH: — as it relates to these cities and the voter turnout, a huge percentage of African-American voters voted for Trump. An historical [sic] number of African-Americans —
REID: No, no, no. That — sir, hold on — do you seriously think that — hold on — do you seriously —
SMITH: — in these cities — in these cities —
REID: — think the reason that —
SMITH: — white Americans voted for Biden.
REID: — do you think that the reason that the trump campaign is going after Detroit and going after Atlanta is because these people all voted for trump?
[SMITH’s MIC CUT]
REID: Are you trying to tell me that you think that's why they're going after these cities —
SMITH: I’m not saying that at all.
REID: — because they voted for trump? That's what you think?
SMITH: No, that I'm saying is I don't think it's racist at all, joy, because everybody in Detroit is not black.
REID: You don't?
SMITH: There are some white voters in Detroit too.
REID: The vast majority of people in Detroit voted for Joe Biden.
SMITH: Listen, all I'm saying — you're asking me about racism in these different counties. I'm not for suppressing the vote. I’m [INAUDIBLE]. I want everybody's vote to count. I encourage voter — I'm not for voter suppression. So I can't really speak to that.
REID: Good.
SMITH: but what I would say is that —
REID: Okay?
SMITH: — in all of these cities, you know, they're not all-black cities. They have white voters there, too, so we're looking at everyone's vote —
REID: Okay.
SMITH: — and making sure everyone votes. I think that's what the Trump administration's looking at. It's not a race thing. You had [MIC CUT]
REID: We'll leave it. It is because these cities are where black people live, but it doesn't bother you. I think you have made that very clear.
(....)
7:47 p.m. Eastern
REID: As the country faces a deadly pandemic, there is nothing more important in the relationship between the American people and the White House than trust. Unfortunately, Donald Trump has spent the past four years abusing that relationship. Washington Post Fact Checkers found that he's lied while in office more than 22,000 times. That's about 17 lies a day. So it shouldn't have been a surprise that Trump's White House press secretaries would follow in kind. You know, we all remember Sean Spicer's very first day on the job. He lied about Trump's inauguration crowd size. And for the record, yes, it was smaller than President Obama's. The latest of four Trump press secretaries is Kayleigh McEnany. During her first performance, she claimed she would never lie to the American people. We had her word on that. Unfortunately, that word turned out to be as good as a degree from Trump University.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY [on 06/01/20]: I would also note the president's long history of condemning white supremacy and racism. [SCREEN WIPE] [on 07/13/20] He has a great record when it comes to the LGBT community. [SCREEN WIPE] [on 09/09/20] The President never downplayed the virus, once again, the president expressed calm. The President was serious about this. [SCREEN WIPE] [on 09/22/20] We were looking at the prospect of two million people potentially perishing from the coronavirus in this country. [SCREEN WIPE] The fact that we have come nowhere near that number is a testament to this President taking immediate action.
JIM ACOSTA [TO MCENANY] [on 05/28/20]:You have pledged in this briefing room to never lie to the American people. Are you saying that the President of the United States has never lied to the public before?
MCENANY [on 05/28/20]: I'm around the president. His intent is always to give truthful information to the American people.
REID: Well, now it falls to Joe Biden to begin the process of restoring trust in the Oval Office after four years of lies, corruption, conspiracy theories and Twitter rants. And today, we got some news about who he might turn to to be his administration's spokesperson, a potentially historic pick.
(....)
7:55 p.m. Eastern
REID: You know, I want to also play Tom Cotton, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Mr. Podesta, speaking about another black woman who has been talked about as somebody who might be in the administration, one Susan Rice. Take a listen.
SENATOR TOM COTTON (R-AR) [on 11/17/20]: I cannot imagine a Republican Senate confirming Susan rice to any position. Remember, Susan Rice is the Typhoid Mary of the Obama administration foreign policy.
REID: First of all, who is Tom Cotton to tell Joe Biden — President-Elect Joe Biden what to do, number one? And what do you make of that kind of characterization of someone who is actually an esteemed foreign policy voice?
JOHN PODESTA: Well, you are exactly right, Joy. I think it’s really despicable they continue to go after Susan. She served this country with distinction as ambassador to the U.S. — U.N., United Nations, as national security adviser, the whole charge against her is trumped up. And I think that I worked with her both in the Clinton administration and the Obama administration. She's tremendously skilled. She’d be a great asset to the Biden/Harris administration and I hope they don't listen, certainly to Tom Cotton who, frankly, doesn't know what he is talking about.
