Since Tuesday, liberal journalists on CNN and MSNBC have been teaming up with elected Democrats to shoot down the notion that their collective obsession with impeaching President Trump slowed the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The biased coverage argued the “talking point” was “dangerous” and predicted that it would not “pick up much traction.”
During an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell leveled the charge: “[Coronavirus] came up while we were tied down in an impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of, uh, the government, because everything every day was all about impeachment.”
On CNN’s The Situation Room that evening, White House correspondent Jim Acosta fretted: “Top Republicans are pushing back on the notion that the President failed to prepare the nation for the crisis, arguing he was tied up with the impeachment trial.” He then attempted to offer a supposed fact-check: “But hold on, here’s the reality. The President was acquitted on February 5th, five days before he declared at a rally that the virus would quickly disappear.”
Talking to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday afternoon, anchor Anderson Cooper didn’t bother to hide his disgust over the idea: “The President and the Senate Majority Leader are now suggesting that impeachment distracted the President from responding to the virus. Do you buy that at all?” That softball gave the Democratic leader the chance to proclaim: “I think that’s an admission that perhaps the President and the Majority Leader cannot handle the job.”
Acosta eagerly touted the exchange later in the day: “Pelosi rejected the excuse floated by top Republicans that the President was somehow distracted by the impeachment saga, which ended nearly two months ago. Even as the President continued to hold rallies and play golf.”
Shortly after McConnell’s comments on Tuesday, MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi decried:
Mitch McConnell said to Hugh Hewitt that the reason everybody – the eye wasn’t on the ball on this is because it was during the impeachment trial and that it – it diverted the attention of government....I think this is dangerous for Mitch McConnell to suggest that impeachment was impeding the government response to coronavirus.
His guest, Democratic Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, predictably agreed: “Ali, it’s totally reckless and irresponsible, in addition to being totally untrue.”
During an interview with socialist Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Wednesday, fellow anchor Andrea Mitchell whined: “Do you think it’s fair for the Republican leader to be blaming the administration’s failures to prepare adequately on impeachment?” Sanders replied: “No, I certainly don’t. We have a President who should have listened to what the scientists were telling us, what was common knowledge all over the world, that there was a pandemic coming.”
Later that afternoon, Velshi was back at it, ranting: “The impeachment was concluded on February the 5th. It was long after that, well into March, probably March 12, before the President started taking this seriously.” NBC’s senior White House correspondent Shannon Pettypiece rushed to dismiss the entire discussion as nothing more than a GOP “talking point”:
Well, this has been a talking point I’ve been hearing for a couple days now, I’ve heard from people close to the campaign, this talking point that the Democrats had made everyone in the White House so distracted by impeachment that they couldn’t focus on coronavirus....As you laid out, impeachment concluded February 5th, in the days after that, the President was really focused on purging his administration of his adversaries, we saw firings of people who were connected to the impeachment inquiry, and then he was off on the campaign trail....So I don’t think that argument and talking point is going to pick up much traction.
In other words, the liberal media that pushed impeachment so fiercely will make sure that the argument doesn’t “pick up much traction.”
On Thursday morning, MSNBC anchor Ayman Mohyeldin turned to Democratic Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline and wondered: “What’s your reaction to the Senate Majority leader laying the blame to the government’s response on the House of Representatives and impeachment?” The liberal lawmaker gave the obligatory response: “Well, it’s laughable.”
For journalists at CNN and MSNBC to not even be willing to entertain the idea that the massive amount of time they devoted to the Democrats’ futile impeachment crusade might have distracted the country from the spread of COVID-19 throughout China and the world in December, January, and early February is astonishing.
Reporters should always be skeptical – of both our leaders and themselves.
Here are excerpts of the coverage on CNN and MSNBC, March 31 - April 2:
MSNBC Live With Ali Velshi
03/31/20
3:18 PM ET(...)
ALI VELSHI: Mitch McConnell said to Hugh Hewitt that the reason everybody – the eye wasn’t on the ball on this is because it was during the impeachment trial and that it – it diverted the attention of government. I just want to bring up some dates here. On February 6th, the Senate acquitted Donald Trump. On February the 26th, 20 days later, almost three weeks, the President said the 15 people within a couple of days is going to go down close to zero. On February 28th, a month after that, almost, he said, “One day like a miracle, it’s going to disappear.” On the 28th, he also called this “the Democrats’ new hoax.” And on March the 12th, the President says, “It’s going to go away.” I think this is dangerous for Mitch McConnell to suggest that impeachment was impeding the government response to coronavirus.
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN [D-MD]: Ali, it’s totally reckless and irresponsible, in addition to being totally untrue.
(...)
The Situation Room
03/31/20
5:07 PM ET(...)
JIM ACOSTA: Top Republicans are pushing back on the notion that the President failed to prepare the nation for the crisis, arguing he was tied up with the impeachment trial.
MITCH MCCONNELL: It came up while we were tied down in an impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of, uh, the government, because everything every day was all about impeachment.
ACOSTA: But hold on, here’s the reality. The President was acquitted on February 5th, five days before he declared at a rally that the virus would quickly disappear.
(...)
Andrea Mitchell Reports
04/01/20
12:14 PM ET(...)
ANDREA MITCHELL: Mitch McConnell said on Hugh Hewitt’s radio program that the reason – one of the reasons why the federal government was not prepared with test kits and all the rest was because it was preoccupied with the Senate impeachment trial. Do you think it’s fair for the Republican leader to be blaming the administration’s failures to prepare adequately on impeachment?
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS [I-VT]: No, I certainly don’t. We have a President who should have listened to what the scientists were telling us, what was common knowledge all over the world, that there was a pandemic coming.
(...)
CNN Special Coverage: Coronavirus Pandemic
04/01/20
1:13 PM ET(...)
ANDERSON COOPER: You have said that the President’s denials of the seriousness off the virus in the beginning was deadly, that it cost lives. The President and the Senate Majority Leader are now suggesting that impeachment distracted the President from responding to the virus. Do you buy that at all?
REP. NANCY PELOSI [HOUSE SPEAKER, D-CA]: I think that’s an admission that perhaps the President and the Majority Leader cannot handle the job.
(...)
MSNBC Live With Ali Velshi
04/01/20
3:54 PM ET(...)
ALI VELSHI: Shannon, the President also suggested that impeachment may have distracted him from paying as much attention to this as he would have liked. The impeachment was concluded on February the 5th. It was long after that, well into March, probably March 12, before the President started taking this seriously.
SHANNON PETTYPIECE: Well, this has been a talking point I’ve been hearing for a couple days now, I’ve heard from people close to the campaign, this talking point that the Democrats had made everyone in the White House so distracted by impeachment that they couldn’t focus on coronavirus. Mitch McConnell said something similar earlier this week, that the Democrats were just focused on impeachment and not paying enough attention to this. As you laid out, impeachment concluded February 5th, in the days after that, the President was really focused on purging his administration of his adversaries, we saw firings of people who were connected to the impeachment inquiry, and then he was off on the campaign trail. We were doing about one campaign rally a week on average. So the White House was quickly gearing into campaign mode, they were bringing Mark Meadows in as chief of staff to lead, you know, a campaign White House. And now, here we are. So I don’t think that argument and talking point is going to pick up much traction.
(...)
The Situation Room
04/01/20
5:09 PM ET(...)
JIM ACOSTA: Pelosi rejected the excuse floated by top Republicans that the President was somehow distracted by the impeachment saga, which ended nearly two months ago. Even as the President continued to hold rallies and play golf.
PELOSI: That’s an admission hat perhaps the President and the Majority Leader cannot handle the job.
(...)
MSNBC Live With Hallie Jackson
04/02/20
10:20 AM ET(...)
AYMAN MOHYELDIN: Let me put to you a charge that has come out of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is now blaming Democrats and their impeachment, which obviously originated in the House, to which you’re a member, saying that it was impeachment that distracted the government, essentially diverting the attention of the government away from the coronavirus response, in reference to the timing of the early information that you just alluded to about the coronavirus. What’s your reaction to the Senate Majority leader laying the blame to the government’s response on the House of Representatives and impeachment?
REP. DAVID CICILLINE [D-RI]: Well, it’s laughable.
(...)
