Just a couple weeks after CBS This Morning co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King proclaimed that “we all need to take a class” from a radical Black Lives Matter activist who supported rioting and property destruction, on Friday, the left-wing anchor demanded that everyone take “decency class lessons” from unhinged socialist Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
King gushed over her fellow Democrat:
A tense exchange between two members of Congress has gained the attention of millions of Americans. In a speech on the House floor yesterday, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted a Republican congressman over what unfolded during a confrontation on the Capitol steps....I think women, Democrats and Republicans, everywhere are applauding Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and several good men are also giving her a round of applause....I think we could all take some of her decency class lessons. Very well done.
Remember, this is the same Ocasio-Cortez who in 2019 labeled immigration detention centers along the U.S. southern border “concentration camps.” It was so wildly offensive that even members of the Democratic Party press, like NBC’s Chuck Todd and CNN’s Jake Tapper, hammered her for the comment. Even so, this is who King thinks we should look to as a beacon of civility.
King’s education mandate came in reaction to Ocasio-Cortez taking to the House floor on Thursday to accuse Republican Florida Congressman Ted Yoho of calling her a “f**king bitch” during a heated argument on the steps of the Capitol on Monday. The exchange has been highly disputed and Yoho has flatly denied using any such language.
Of course that doesn’t matter to the leftist media, they so want the far-left Democrat’s account of the incident to be true that reporters on NBC, ABC, and CBS all eagerly ran with the story Thursday evening and Friday morning.
On Thursday’s NBC Nightly News, correspondent Kasie Hunt claimed Ocasio-Cortez had “confirmed” the news, simply by publicly leveling the accusation. On Friday, ABC’s Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos declared Yoho guilty of “verbally assaulting” the New York Congresswoman. On CBS This Morning, correspondent Ed O’Keefe touted how “House Democrats rallied around the New York congresswoman as they called out what they say is a broader culture of sexism up here on Capitol Hill, where women make up just a quarter of the House and Senate.”
All three networks did play a soundbite of Yoho apologizing for the contentious exchange with his Democratic colleague but strongly denying use of any profane or vulgar language:
I rise to apologize for the abrupt manner of the conversation I had with my colleague from New York. Having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I'm very cognizant of my language. The offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleague.
However, the tone of the reports made it clear that Ocasio-Cortez was the hero of the story and Yoho was the “sexist” and “misogynist” villain representing “a pattern of dehumanizing women that is all too familiar in our society and even in the halls of Congress.”
The Hill was the first to report on the alleged incident, with writer Mike Lillis simply claiming that the contentious conversation “was overheard by a reporter.” In that article, he never actually identified the reporter. As a result, none of the networks identified the anonymous reporter either.
However, appearing on MSNBC’s Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell Thursday night, Lillis claimed he was the reporter who overheard the exchange. So why didn’t he make that clear when he first broke the story?
Ocasio-Cortez is a left-wing bomb-thrower who delights in attacking her political opponents with outrageous rhetoric. The leftist media are no better. No one needs a civility lecture from radical Democrats or their cheerleaders in the press.
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Here is a full transcript of the report on the July 23 NBC Nightly News:
7:11 AM ET
LESTER HOLT: Now to a dramatic moment on Capitol Hill. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez confronting a Republican colleague after she says he confronted her and hurled profanity-laced insults. Kasie Hunt has details.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Ocasio-Cortez Slams GOP Congressman’s ‘Abusive’ Attack]
KASIE HUNT: In a fiery speech on the House floor, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez standing her ground.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ [D-NY]: In front of reporters, Representative Yoho called me, and I quote, a [bleep]. These were the words that Representative Yoho levied against a congresswoman.
HUNT: The confrontation happened Monday, but Ocasio-Cortez didn’t confirm The Hill newspaper’s reporting until after Ted Yoho said this:
REP. TED YOHO [R-FL]: The offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues, and if they were construed that way, I apologize for their misunderstanding. I cannot apologize for my passion.
HUNT: Ocasio-Cortez has called that an excuse, not an apology, making the case it’s about more than just one argument.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: I have tossed men out of bars that have used language like Mr. Yoho’s and I have encountered this type of harassment riding the subway in New York City. This is not new. And that is the problem.
HUNT: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recalling her own experience.
REP. NANCY PELOSI [D-CA]: They have called me names for at least, at least 20 years of leadership, 18 years of leadership.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: This issue is not about one incident. It is cultural. It is a culture of lack of impunity, of accepting of violence and violent language against women. In an entire structure of power that supports that.
HUNT: Democrats demanding Republicans condemn Yoho, but he’s still denying he used the words. And Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy today said he accepts Yoho’s apology. Lester?
HOLT: Kasie Hunt tonight, thank you.
Here is a full transcript of the July 24 coverage on ABC’s GMA:
7:32 AM ET
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re gonna turn now to a remarkable showdown in the halls of Congress. Women members of the House taking the floor to condemn sexism and misogyny on Capitol Hill, led by the youngest member of Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who rebuked Florida Congressman Ted Yoho for verbally assaulting her on the Capitol steps. Rachel Scott is in Washington with the story. Good morning, Rachel.
RACHEL SCOTT: George, good morning. A speech like this is rare on Capitol Hill, but female lawmakers say the behavior is not. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez taking a stand against a culture she says is sexist and all too common.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Ocasio-Cortez Calls Out Congressman; Slams Lawmaker She Says Verbally Assaulted Her]
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took her outrage to the House floor.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ [D-NY]: In front of reporters, Representative Yoho called me, and I quote, a [bleep] [bleep]. These are the words that Representative Yoho levied against a congresswoman.
SCOTT: Ocasio-Cortez said she was walking up the steps of the Capitol when her colleague, Florida Congressman Ted Yoho, put his finger in her face, calling her “disgusting, crazy and dangerous” for suggesting poverty and unemployment have led to a spike in crime. The confrontation and alleged expletives overheard by a reporter.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: I do not need Representative Yoho to apologize to me. Clearly he does not want to.
SCOTT: Yoho did apologize, but not for the derogatory language. He denied using it.
REP. TED YOHO [R-FL]: I rise to apologize for the abrupt manner of the conversation I had with my colleague from New York. Having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I'm very cognizant of my language. The offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleague.
SCOTT: But it was his comments that prompted her to speak up.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Ocasio-Cortez Calls Out Congressman; Congresswoman Slams Sexism & Misogyny on Capitol Hill]
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man. I am someone’s daughter, too. My father, thankfully, is not alive to see how Mr. Yoho treated his daughter. I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men.
SCOTT: Now, Yoho says he cannot apologize for something he did not say, but more than a dozen female lawmakers say this is bigger than just this one incident. They believe there is a pattern of dehumanizing women that is all too familiar in our society and even in the halls of Congress. George?
STEPHANOPOULOS: Yeah, it was really something to hear that personal testimony on the House floor. Okay, Rachel, thanks very much.
Here is a full transcript of the July 24 report on CBS This Morning:
7:12 AM ET
GAYLE KING: A tense exchange between two members of Congress has gained the attention of millions of Americans. In a speech on the House floor yesterday, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted a Republican congressman over what unfolded during a confrontation on the Capitol steps. Ed O’Keefe is on Capitol Hill with more on this story. Ed, what was the reaction to her speech?
ED O’KEEFE: Well, Gayle, good morning. House Democrats rallied around the New York congresswoman as they called out what they say is a broader culture of sexism up here on Capitol Hill, where women make up just a quarter of the House and Senate.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Calling Out Sexism in Congress; Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Speaks Out Against GOP Colleague’s Vulgar Insult]
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ [D-NY]: Representative Yoho put his finger in my face, he called me disgusting. He called me crazy. He called me out of my mind.
O’KEEFE: New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Thursday rejected the apology of Florida Republican Ted Yoho for a confrontation in which a member of the press overheard him using a misogynistic slur.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: In front of reporters, Representative Yoho called me, and I quote, “[bleep] bitch.”
O’KEEFE: Ocasio-Cortez says Yoho made the remark when he confronted her on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Monday, over her recent comments about poverty being a root cause of crime. On Wednesday, he apologized for the heated confrontation but strongly denied using those words towards his colleague.
REP. TED YOHO [R-FL]: Having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I’m very cognizant of my language. The offensive name-calling words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: And so what I believe is that having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man.
O’KEEFE: On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez denounced what she calls a pattern of dehumanizing behavior by men.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: This issue is not about one incident. It is cultural, it is a culture of lack of impunity, of accepting of violence and violent language against women, an entire structure of power that supports that.
O’KEEFE: Her emotional speech triggered an outpouring of support from other female Democrats.
REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL [D-WA]: I was also told in Judiciary Committee to learn how to read by another one of my members across the aisle. These are the things that happen to us all the time.
REP. NANCY PELOSI [D-CA]: I can tell you that firsthand. They’ve called me names for at least – at least 20 years of leadership, 18 years of leadership.
O’KEEFE: Top Republican leaders say they believe that Yoho’s apology was sufficient, but there are of course some Democrats who say that they don’t think it was enough. They don’t think he really apologized at all.
And in a sign of how extraordinary this moment was, the congressional TV network C-SPAN says that its clip of the Congresswoman’s speech is now its most re-tweeted moment, with more than ten million re-tweets. Gayle, clearly this one struck a nerve.
KING: Wow. Oh, that’s impressive. Listen, let me tell you something, Ed, I think women, Democrats and Republicans, everywhere are applauding Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and several good men are also giving her a round of applause.
O’KEEFE: I was gonna say –
KING: Have you ever seen anything like this? Yeah, I was thinking you were gonna say that! Have you ever seen anything like this in Congress?
O’KEEFE: No, but we did ask the House historians and they said, yes, in the past there have been some examples of people using four-letter words, just not in the TV age. So it clearly was a standout moment just for that reason, if anything.
KING: Yeah, it’s more than the four-letter words. I think we could all take some of her decency class lessons. Very well done. Thank you very much.
