During CNN's breaking news coverage of Attorney General Merrick Garland's news conference on the Justice Department's January 6 investigation, chief legal analyst and Zoom masturbator Jeffrey Toobin scoffed at Garland's desire to prosecute political violence no matter what political party is involved.
On Wednesday afternoon's edition of CNN Newsroom, when asked to give his initial thoughts on Garland's public address, Toobin first gave his summary of the speech which he said amounted to a "please be patient." Meaning justice to those who committed crimes will eventually be brought to justice.
He also thought Garland's announcement proclaiming everyone at every level will be held accountable meant "the people who organize, paid for, planned the riot that took place at the Capitol" will eventually be charged. Though Toobin expressed skepticism that Garland would follow through.
Unfortunately for Toobin, there were parts of the address that didn't sit well with him:
I have to say there's another thing that jumped out at me where he said, well, this isn't just one political party. Really? I–I, there’s only one political party that I'm aware of, the Republican Party that's been leading the effort to undermine the rule of law and to undermine the right to vote, and I thought, you know, in this effort to seem bipartisan he engaged in some bogus both sider-ism when it's really only one political party in this country that's trying to limit the right to vote and only one political party that’s been defending the people who rioted on January 6th.
Apparently, Toobin was asleep or doing other things throughout the Summer of 2020 when Black Lives Matter mobs ransacked and set fire to major cities across the nation over a perceived racial injustice in policing. They weren't Republicans burning and looting stores in Minneapolis, they were Democrats. Not everything is about January 6, Jeff!
To be fair, not everyone at CNN is insane (at least in this case). Chief political correspondent Dana Bash was quick to set the record straight when called upon by CNN Newsroom co-host Victor Blackwell. Bash addressed what Garland was trying to say: "he was talking about the violence that is out there, he actually seemed to get, you know, a little emotional, and we talked about the federal judge who had somebody come to her house and kill her son, and severely injure her husband."
Bash was seemingly referring to a federal judge in New Jersey whose family was targeted over her role in the Jeffrey Epstein trial.
She continued schooling Toobin saying Garland's comments were "just about the broadly (sic), the violence and threats of violence that are going on across the country, and I mean, if I were to put into laymen's terms what he was trying to do, we need to take a national chill pill."
Credit where it's due, Bash actually accurately portrayed Garland's statement while avoiding the temptation to turn it into a political weapon.
This segment featuring a disgraced CNN commentator saying it's "both-siderism" to point out there is political violence among Democrats was brought to you by Liberty Mutual, Subway, and Whole Foods Market.
To read the relevant transcript of this segment click "expand":
CNN Newsroom
1/5/2022
3:14:11 PM
JEFFREY TOOBIN: I think if you missed the speech, I can sum it up in three words, please be patient. That was the argument in January, about January 6th that Garland made, and like Andy, I definitely, the phrase that jumped out at me was we will hold people at any level, the people accountable at any level, and that means the people who organize, paid for, planned the riot that took place at the Capitol. That's a promise, we’ll see whether they have the evidence to make it real. I have to say there's another thing that jumped out at me where he said, well, this isn't just one political party. Really? I–I, there’s only one political party that I'm aware of, the Republican Party that's been leading the effort to undermine the rule of law and to undermine the right to vote, and I thought, you know, in this effort to seem bipartisan he engaged in some bogus both sider-ism when it's really only one political party in this country that's trying to limit the right to vote and only one political party that’s been defending the people who rioted on January 6th.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: Dana, what stood out to you?
DANA BASH: Yeah, I hear what Jeffrey is saying. But in that context, when he was talking about the violence that is out there, he actually seemed to get, you know, a little emotional, and we talked about the federal judge who had somebody come to her house and kill her son, and severely injure her husband. Just about the broadly, the violence and threats of violence that are going on across the country, and I mean, if I were to put into laymen's terms what he was trying to do, we need to take a national chill pill. People need to somehow, someway calm down. We as the law enforcement, the chief law enforcement officer effectively of this country, we're going to do our best and we’re going to prosecute. But this is a societal issue that we need to address. And it was extraordinary to hear the Attorney General of the United States make that kind of speech as you were saying, Victor, and Alisyn, that we thought was really going to be focused on January 6th, trying to explain himself, trying to defend himself, and the Justice Department, he took it much more broad and much more pointed at society than I don't think-I-certainly I didn't expect.
