UPDATE, 7:52 p.m. Eastern: Amid a widespread outcry, Tapper tweeted multiple times to further explain and double down on his stance. Tapper wrote two tweets in response to a condemnation from Mast’s colleague, Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR):
2/ I get that Trump-supporting officials want to change the subject from Sedition and incitement. But however much I focus on honoring veterans in my coverage and more doesn’t mean those who served who undermine the very democracy they fought for didn’t try to undermine democracy
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 13, 2021
A few minutes later, Mast himself tweeted about Tapper’s smear: “I lost two legs for @jaketapper’s right to say whatever the hell he wants, but that free speech also protects the Republicans he is so eager to condemn for asking Constitutional questions about the election.”
Tapper replied, tripling down: “You’re a hero for your service and I’m grateful, as I’ve said before. And yes i question the commitment to democracy of anyone who spread election lies, signed onto that deranged TX AG lawsuit, and voted to commit sedition. You were not just asking questions.”
Avail yourselves to the original post and transcript below as, despite any claims otherwise, Tapper’s decided to infer that Mast isn’t actually a hero but instead a coward who’s deserted his oath.
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Wednesday afternoon during the second Trump impeachment vote, CNN’s The Lead and State of the Union co-host Jake Tapper lobbed a disgusting and vile attack on Republican Congressman Brian Mast (FL) for voting against impeachment, doubting whether the Army veteran and double-amputee was truly committed to upholding and defending the Constitution and American democracy.
Tapper interrupted State of the Union co-host Dana Bash as she was making a point about direct evidence the U.S. Capitol insurrectionists were taking cues from President Trump to insist: “Congressman Brian Mast, a Republican from Florida, who lost his legs, by the way, fighting for democracy abroad, although I don't know what his — I don't know about his commitment to it here in the United States. He said, did anybody say that? Yeah, we heard them.”
Bash replied: “Yes. The answer is yes. Yes.”
Over the years, Tapper has built a reputation as an unabashed supporter of the troops, including being a generous donor to veterans causes and having penned The Outpost (which was adapted into a movie).
As my colleague Nick Fondacaro tweeted, perhaps Tapper “has completed his transformation” into his hero Edward R. Murrow by turning on America’s finest.
Prior to that ugly attack, Tapper outlined what he viewed as “four groups of [House] Republicans” as voting began (click “expand”)
[T]here are basically four groups of Republicans. One is the seven that we know of. There might be more, who are voting to impeach, who were just so appalled that even, if you look at the list of them, they’re — some of them are quite conservative, are just absolutely appalled. Then there's a second group of people who say he should be held accountable but do not favor impeachment for various reasons. And I think you can say these are principled Republicans. Congresswoman Mace, Congressman Roy of Texas. They have a principled reason for opposing impeachment but do understand that President Trump did what he did. Then there's the third group which is, unfortunately for the country, most of the house Republican caucus, which is the what about caucus? They're out there saying, well, what about this rally that got violent in Portland or what about literally one of them said there were negative hashtags about President Trump on Twitter. Literally, Congressman Moore, a freshman from Alabama said that. I couldn't believe it. What about it? Someone actually cited Sara Sanders being turned away by a restaurant. People, there were people killed in the capitol by a terrorist assault by President Trump’s supporters. Who cares about a hash tag?
Anyway, and then there's the fourth group and that group is a group of one person: the House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy. The House Republican leader, who said today that Joe Biden was legitimate, that it was not the American way to say he's not legitimate and we need to work together, as if Kevin McCarthy has not been fueling these lies, spreading these lies. It makes you wonder. He knows when he goes on Fox we can see him, right? He literally put out a tweet in November after the election, “far from over, Republicans will not back down from this battle.” Two days after the election, McCarthy said on Fox, President Trump won this election, so everyone who is listening, do not be quiet. We cannot allow this to happen before our very eyes. I'm sorry, Kevin, but we all saw you say that. You can't pretend now that you didn't let the genie out of the bottle.
Bash fretted that many “fed the lies and enabled the lies of the President” for two months “that the election was stolen” and yet, no one apologized for their outlandish and unrealistic promises.
“But the other thing that I think is really, really important is the fact that we have video, and I was just watching it as they were starting this vote, of the people who were storming the Capitol saying the President told us to come here. That is happening. I mean, that is video. There's video of this. It is just exhibit A of the reams of evidence that we have,” Bash added.
Following Tapper’s vile attack on Mast, left-wing political correspondent Abby Phillip piled on:
And yet, if you listen to Republicans today on Capitol Hill, you would think that the victim of this entire situation is the President himself. That they have created this whole myth of President Trump being constantly victimized by the system and being unfairly punished in his final seven days in office. And just completely, in many cases, ignoring the reality of what actually happened last week, which is completely different from anything that this country has seen in decades, perhaps even hundreds of years. There is a sense, I think, you know, among Republicans, the vast majority of Republicans. I think we should be clear about this. So far, we have seven Republicans who said they will vote on this. We're watching that number tick up.
Of course, Tapper refused to apologize or even acknowledge his appalling attack that, if it were uttered about a liberal military veteran on Fox News, he would be calling for that person’s swift firing and shaming.
At 4:19 p.m. Eastern, Tapper lectured Republicans (such as the supposedly traitorous Mast) for not having displayed “basic decency” and “integrity” that House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY).
However, Tapper did offer an apology on-air and on Twitter during his hour-plus of impeachment coverage, but it was for mispronouncing the last name of Congressman Peter Meijer (R-MI).
Just take note, NewsBusters readers. Tapper thought it was more important to apologize for mispronouncing someone’s last name than to a legless Army veteran for questioning whether he believes in defending our constitutional republic.
Due to the live, rolling coverage of the impeachment vote, there were no commercial breaks. But to learn more about the MRC's Conservatives Fight Back page, go here.
To see the relevant MSNBC transcript from January 13, click “expand.”
CNN’s The Lead
January 13, 2021
3:54 p.m. EasternJAKE TAPPER: Seven Republicans that we know of right now. Most senior among them, Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the daughter of the former vice president. She is the House Conference Chair, has — basically she's third in line there in the house Republican leadership. And I have to say, Dana and Abby, listening to all these speeches, what struck me is that there are basically four groups of Republicans. One is the seven that we know of. There might be more, who are voting to impeach, who were just so appalled that even, if you look at the list of them, they’re — some of them are quite conservative, are just absolutely appalled. Then there's a second group of people who say he should be held accountable but do not favor impeachment for various reasons. And I think you can say these are principled Republicans. Congresswoman Mace, Congressman Roy of Texas. They have a principled reason for opposing impeachment but do understand that President Trump did what he did. Then there's the third group which is, unfortunately for the country, most of the house Republican caucus, which is the what about caucus? They're out there saying, well, what about this rally that got violent in Portland or what about literally one of them said there were negative hashtags about President Trump on Twitter. Literally, Congressman Moore, a freshman from Alabama said that. I couldn't believe it. What about it? Someone actually cited Sara Sanders being turned away by a restaurant. People, there were people killed in the capitol by a terrorist assault by President Trump’s supporters. Who cares about a hash tag? Anyway, and then there's the fourth group and that group is a group of one person: the House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy. The House Republican leader, who said today that Joe Biden was legitimate, that it was not the American way to say he's not legitimate and we need to work together, as if Kevin McCarthy has not been fueling these lies, spreading these lies. It makes you wonder. He knows when he goes on Fox we can see him, right? He literally put out a tweet in November after the election, “far from over, Republicans will not back down from this battle.” Two days after the election, McCarthy said on Fox, President Trump won this election, so everyone who is listening, do not be quiet. We cannot allow this to happen before our very eyes. I'm sorry, Kevin, but we all saw you say that. You can't pretend now that you didn't let the genie out of the bottle.
DANA BASH: Yeah. I mean, the thing that was missing from every one of those categories that you just laid out there is something that is really basic, which is those who did say that the election was stolen, those who propagated that, those who fed the lies and enabled the lies of the president. I'm sorry, I made a mistake and —
TAPPER: Not one of them.
BASH: — we heard that from nobody. Nobody. And that’s, frankly, that's reprehensible, especially given the fact that they all know better. I — it's impossible —
TAPPER: I don't know that that's true.
BASH: It's impossible for me to believe —
TAPPER: Do you think the QAnon caucus knows better?
BASH: — yeah, they do. I think they know the reality. I think they know the truth. I think that they, in their heart of hearts, understand that when the secretaries of state in swing states like Georgia or Pennsylvania or Arizona say this election wasn't stolen, and it was free and fair and honest, that that actually is the truth and, you know, maybe I am giving them too much credit in following logic. But just even one basic example is they're not challenging the elections of the Republicans who won the House seats in those states. But the other thing that I think is really, really important is the fact that we have video, and I was just watching it as they were starting this vote, of the people who were storming the Capitol saying the President told us to come here.
TAPPER [LAUGHING]: Right.
BASH: That is happening. I mean, that is video. There's video of this. It is just exhibit A of the reams of evidence that we have. There’s one other thing I wanted to share —
TAPPER: — just one other thing. That’s relevant — What you're saying is relevant because Congressman Brian Mast, a Republican from Florida, who lost his legs, by the way, fighting for democracy abroad, although I don't know what his — I don't know about his commitment to it here in the United States. He said, did anybody say that?
BASH: Yes.
TAPPER: Yeah, we heard them.
BASH: The answer is yes. Yes. And, you know, anybody out there, I'll retweet the tweet so that everybody sees the video. But also just on a more personal — first-person level, somebody at CNN, one of our colleagues was out there a week ago at the Capitol, plain clothed. A lot of people were having trouble getting cell service. This colleague of ours was looking at his phone and so they all swarmed him and what they were saying was is, what is he saying, meaning the President? Where does he want us to go? What does he want us to do? They were taking direction from the President, looking for direction from the President. And they had gotten it at that rally and, you know, two months prior to that and they were continuing to look for him and to him. And that is so telling and so chilling.ABBY PHILLIP: And yet, if you listen to Republicans today on capitol hill, you would think that the victim of this entire situation is the President himself. That they have created this whole myth of President Trump being constantly victimized by the system and being unfairly punished in his final seven days in office. And just completely, in many cases, ignoring the reality of what actually happened last week, which is completely different from anything that this country has seen in decades, perhaps even hundreds of years. There is a sense, I think, you know, among Republicans, the vast majority of Republicans. I think we should be clear about this. So far, we have seven Republicans who said they will vote on this. We're watching that number tick up.
(....)
4:19 p.m. Eastern
TAPPER: She is a very conservative Republican, and she reminds us in her statement, Jamie, this isn't about politics. This is about just plain decency and in her statement and her position, she has more integrity and courage than McCarthy, Scalise, and most of the House Republican leadership combined.
