OUCH: Even CNN’s Jake Tapper Wasn’t Having It With This Wannabe Theatre Kid Democrat

Grant him this, dear readers. On Tuesday, CNN’s The Lead host Jake Tapper was all of us in having to deal with the middle-aged, theatre kid buffoonery of Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), who was brought on as a Democrat from the Oversight Committee to counter an earlier interview with Chairman James Comer (R-KY) about the Biden autopen report. Instead, she hijacked it to accuse Republicans of wanting tens of millions to starve in the government shutdown.

 

Tapper started by asking “what evidence” do Democrats have “that refutes this report” about then-President Biden having ceded power on presidential pardons to his staff, but Stansbury lashed out at Tapper for talking about it to begin with.

“I am deeply disturbed that this is a lead story on national network television tonight, as we are four days away from 42 million Americans losing food assistance as literally the White House is building a $300 million ballroom, and they are choosing to cut off food assistance and SNAP to 42 million Americans. They are going to let seniors, children, veterans, and millions of Americans starve, and this is what we’re covering,” she declared.

After a few more uses of the word “literally,” calling Tapper’s story selection “disturb[ing],” and a declaration that President Trump is in cognitive decline, Tapper was incredulous at her sudden hostility (click “expand”):

TAPPER: So, I actually do have questions for you about the cuts to the SNAP program and the fact that 42 million Americans will not have food stamp coverage as of Saturday, and we covered it yesterday and I covered it earlier today, and we’re going to cover it tomorrow as well, but this is a report from the House Oversight Committee, the majority — and I talked to the chairman of the committee who suggested that more legislation would be needed to outline exactly who a president should be able to grant a pardon to. Is that something that you think both parties could agree upon?

STANSBURY: Well, I think first of all, the House needs to come back in session. Mike Johnson has now canceled the House of Representatives for 39 straight days. We are in day 28 of a House shutdown. They are literally not here. The President is overseas, as I just said, and they’re about to cut off food assistance to millions of Americans. And so I think it’s bizarre that Chairman Comer is going on T.V. talking about an investigation into a former president who’s not even a sitting president over a non-issue while literally Americans are about to starve.

TAPPER: So, the reason that SNAP is running out of funding, I understand there’s a disagreement about the contingency plan, and whether that —

STANSBURY: It’s not a disagreement. Literally, Congress approved money for this scenario. The White House is choosing to let Americans go without —

TAPPER: Well, the Agriculture Department argues that the contingency funds $6 billion is there for natural disaster. I know that that’s disputed.

Tapper cut to the chase and, to his credit, shifted to playing hardball and giving Stansbury some cold, hard facts:

But if you are so concerned about SNAP funds running out, why not ask Democrats in the Senate to vote to open up the government and then the SNAP funding would go? I mean, that’s — I understand the dispute about the contingency fund, and that’s a real dispute and that’s $6 billion that could fund the SNAP program for two to three more weeks. But if we’re actually talking about long-term, why not have Senate Democrats to vote to open up the government?

Stansbury was too busy with her talking points and hand gestures pretending to be an orchestra conductor to answer his question and instead argued she had “filed the SNAP-backed legislation that would force the administration to release those funds to not cut off EBT cards to millions of Americans, and that would reimburse states and tribes,” but Republicans won’t let her.

Tapper tried again by asking if she believes her state’s senators “should...vote to open the government so that these SNAP funds are not at risk,” but Stansbury falsely claimed the Trump White House “is choosing to starve American children.”

The CNN host’s facial expressions grew exasperated:

 

Tapper cut deep with another reality check that the shutdown has been “a choice by Senate Democrats to not vote to open the government...because they want Medicaid funds restored” and “Obamacare premiums to be extended past the end of the year.”

With her arms still flailing, Stansbury started calling Tapper “sir” and claiming there’s “money for contingency plans.” Tapper anticipated this by pointing out said money Democrats are arguing over would only last “two to three weeks[.]”

Stansbury closed by arguing that “doesn’t matter” and going personal by arguing the food stamp debate isn’t “a big deal to you” (click “expand”):

STANSBURY: Yeah. Well, it may not be a big deal to you, but —

TAPPER: It is a big deal to me.

STANSBURY: — let me tell you that for the grandparents —

TAPPER: It is a big deal to me.

STANSBURY: — for grandparents that literally are feeding their children.

TAPPER: My point is that it’s a short-term solution.

STANSBURY: And not have money in those accounts —

TAPPER: It’s a short-term —

STANSBURY: — it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, people need to be able to feed their families, and Saturday is when those funds run out.

TAPPER: If you feel so strongly —

STANSBURY: And we are fighting —

TAPPER: — Congresswoman, why not ask — 

STANSBURY: — to get that funding.

TAPPER: — funding the Senate Democrats from New Mexico to vote to open the government so that the SNAP funds —

STANSBURY: Sir, I am here in the House of Representatives. It is shut down. I am fighting to get the government reopened. I am fighting to get funding, put back into SNAP that is already existent and I am fighting for the American people. I am here. But show me a single Republican that is here. Not a single one is here to make sure that Americans are fed on Saturday. That is why I am here.

To see the relevant CNN transcript from October 28, click here.