While Thursday’s NBC Today show brought on analyst John Brennan to praise an anonymous anti-Trump New York Times op/ed as “courageous,” later that morning, 9:00 a.m. ET hour anchor Megyn Kelly disagreed. She blasted the article for trying to “subvert the President” and “dripping with sanctimony.”
At the top of her show, Kelly explained: “The editors of the Times say they know who it is but they’re not revealing it, at this person’s request. We don’t know who it is. And neither does President Trump...” After re-airing a hyperbolic report about the hit piece from correspondent Peter Alexander, Kelly hammered the unknown author: “Can I just say, when I read the op/ed, my first response was, who does this guy think he is?”
The host provided a point-by-point takedown of the article:
They’re unelected. They have no right to subvert the President and the people’s wishes. Even if you don’t like Trump, he was duly elected, he is the president. That’s what the people wanted. “There are adults in the room. He rants at the meetings.” Too bad. Too bad. If you’ve got a problem, you resign, you go to Mueller, you go public with it. You do what you need to do. But whoever this person is, we did not elect them, and they have no right to subvert the President, i.e., the people’s will.
Moments later, NBC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff joined her in denouncing the editorial, but only as a means to attack the President:
I was reading about it, and it says, “The author tells us there are whispers within the cabinet about the President’s sanity and many senior administration officials are working diligently from within to frustrate his worst inclinations.” And to me, having seen it firsthand, one of the worst inclinations of this President and the administration, and maybe in American history, is separating 2,654 children and from parents and putting them in cages. It’s never mentioned once here.
The reporter further proclaimed: “This person doesn’t come out from behind their anonymous veil to actually stand up and say, ‘I have a problem with this and I’m out of here,’ like you said. And they hide behind the veil of anonymity. If you really feel this way, stand up and say it to the public.”
Kelly again called on the administration official to reveal themselves and resign in protest rather than secretly hurl attacks. She posed this question:
Are they really doing the country a service if they – if Trump is unstable, in trying to counteract his behaviors? Or would it be – is the true service to let him do what he wants to do, as he was elected to do by the people, and then let the voters decide at the midterms and in the next presidential race whether that is the leader they want?
Appearing on the show’s panel, fellow NBC host Craig Melvin acknowledged that it was a “betrayal,” but sympathetically argued: “I think the overarching question is was this a betrayal that was seen as some sort of obligation to country?”
Kelly wasn’t having it: “To me, it’s dripping with sanctimony. Like, who are you? We didn’t elect you. We don’t know who you are....Who are you person?!”
Melvin again tried to defend the op/ed writer: “How is this person different from a whistle blower?” Kelly shot back: “...it’s anonymous. And a whistle blower goes to a public agency that can do something about it....you get out there and you say, ‘I am Megyn Kelly, I work for the Trump administration, and I want to tell you what’s really going on.’ You don’t do this.”
At least one person at NBC was able to point out the unethical nature of the Times article rather than just accept it as gospel.
Here are excerpts of the September 6 panel discussion on Megyn Kelly Today:
9:01 AM ET
MEGYN KELLY: We’re gonna begin inside the Beltway today with a White House bombshell shaking things up in Washington. Have you heard about this New York Times op/ed? And I don’t know if you’ve actually read it, but it’s supposedly written by a senior member of the President’s own administration, and it’s extraordinary. The editors of the Times say they know who it is but they’re not revealing it, at this person’s request. We don’t know who it is. And neither does President Trump, who turned to Twitter overnight, blasting the anonymous writer. Yes, I know you’re shocked, I see you laughing madam. With a one-word response question. “Treason?,” he asked. Of course it’s causing quite an uproar this morning.
(...)
9:04 AM ET
KELLY: Can I just say, when I read the op/ed, my first response was, who does this guy think he is? Or woman. They’re unelected. They have no right to subvert the President and the people’s wishes. Even if you don’t like Trump, he was duly elected, he is the president. That’s what the people wanted. “There are adults in the room. He rants at the meetings.” Too bad. Too bad. If you’ve got a problem, you resign, you go to Mueller, you go public with it. You do what you need to do. But whoever this person is, we did not elect them, and they have no right to subvert the President, i.e., the people’s will. That’s my own take on it.
(...)
JACOB SOBOROFF: I don’t think that there’s any question as to whether or not the type of stuff that’s going on inside this White House has been true. At NBC News, we’ve been reporting these types of details...
KELLY: Totally.
SOBOROFF: ...all year long for two years. I guess my question is, are we supposed to feel reassured by this?
KELLY: By the adults, the secret adults?
SOBOROFF: Yeah, so I mean, I brought the newspaper, which I don’t normally have anymore these days. And I was reading about it, and it says, “The author tells us there are whispers within the cabinet about the President’s sanity and many senior administration officials are working diligently from within to frustrate his worst inclinations.” And to me, having seen it firsthand, one of the worst inclinations of this President and the administration, and maybe in American history, is separating 2,654 children and from parents and putting them in cages. [Applause] It’s never mentioned once here. This person doesn’t come out from behind their anonymous veil to actually stand up and say, “I have a problem with this and I’m out of here,” like you said. And they hide behind the veil of anonymity. If you really feel this way, stand up and say it to the public.
KELLY: Say who you are, resign. I mean, the adults in the room, you tell me, Craig, you have kids, I have kids, there are the laws of natural consequences. And are they really doing the country a service? Are they really doing the country a service if they – if Trump is unstable, in trying to counteract his behaviors? Or would it be – is the true service to let him do what he wants to do, as he was elected to do by the people, and then let the voters decide at the midterms and in the next presidential race whether that is the leader they want?
CRAIG MELVIN: Elections have consequences, right? I mean, I do think that, you know – and we’ve said this, gosh, it feels like every other week we say this about something else as it relates to this administration – but this does, this infection point, it feels different. I mean, you’ve got the Press Secretary Sarah Sanders saying that this person should resign, calling him or her a coward. There has not been – we should note, there has not been a denial from the administration. They have not said, “You know what, this isn’t true.” If you look and read over the past 18 hours –
KELLY: Well, President Trump said something about “fake news.”
MELVIN: Well, but he says that every day. [Laughter]
KELLY: Blanket, blanket, everything is fake news. Anything negative is fake.
MELVIN: But you’ve got the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying, “Wasn’t me.” You’ve got Vice President Mike Pence in the last few hours putting out a statement saying, “Wasn’t me.” I am mildly concerned. John Brennan said this morning on the Today show, he said that a wounded lion is typically more dangerous than a regular lion. Referring to the President as a lion. But I am concerned about what the President’s response is going to be if he does, in fact, feel betrayed. I don’t think that you can deny that this is a betrayal. But, you know, I think the overarching question is was this a betrayal that was seen as some sort of obligation to country? I think that’s the question.
KELLY: To me, it’s dripping with sanctimony. Like, who are you? We didn’t elect you. We don’t know who you are. And you like your conservative ideals and don’t think President Trump is living up to them? Well, too bad. Who are you person?!
(...)
MELVIN: How is this person different from a whistle blower?
KELLY: This – it’s anonymous. And a whistle blower goes to a public agency that can do something about it. We – if he has something to say or she has something to say, you get out there and you say, “I am Megyn Kelly, I work for the Trump administration, and I want to tell you what’s really going on.” You don’t do this. [Applause]
SOBOROFF: The other thing is, this person – this person clearly wants to feel better about themselves...
KELLY: Absolutely.
SOBOROFF: ...rather than about what’s going on in the United States. Again, this person has no problem with separating all these children. If you have a problem with the administration, stand up and say something about it rather than pat yourself on the back.
(...)
