When it comes to Democrats, the leftist media insist that families are off limits in the political debate. While that’s certainly a laudable rule, it’s remarkable how quickly hypocritical reporters dump that principle when they see an opportunity to trash a Republican. On Monday, NBC’s Today show provided the latest example of this pathetic double standard.
“Shake-up. After months of family drama playing out online, Kellyanne Conway, one of the President’s longest serving and closest aides, announces she’s stepping down,” co-host Savannah proclaimed at the top of the morning show. Introducing a full report on the topic in the 7:30 a.m. ET half hour, fellow co-host Hoda Kotb pushed the same line: “Alright, what do say we move to some family drama now at the White House, where President Trump’s long-time aide Kellyanne Conway announced last night she will be stepping down.”
Correspondent Hallie Jackson made it clear that the network was particularly interested in pushing the story as the Republican National Convention began:
An administration source says Kellyanne Conway told the President about this decision in the Oval Office less than 24 hours ago in the midst of a family dynamic that has really played out on social media. You’ve got the mother, a member of the President’s inner circle, the father is an outspoken critic of President Trump, and now their teenage daughter says she wants her freedom after her own posts have gone viral. One of the President’s most loyal defenders, this morning, announcing she’s stepping down just hours before the Republican National Convention is set to kick off.
After again hyping the “high-profile family drama,” Jackson used one of the Conway’s teenage children as a prop for the vile tabloid gossip:
Her 15-year-old daughter Claudia, who recently made headlines by sharing her more liberal views on TikTok, now says she’s seeking emancipation from both of her parents, tweeting over the weekend, “I'm officially pushing for emancipation. Buckle up because this is probably going to be public one way or another, unfortunately.” At one point last month, going as far as asking progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to adopt her.
While ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS This Morning both noted the development, those broadcasts had the restraint to offer one or two sentences on the news and move on, without delving into every detail of the highly personal family situation. Though on CBS, co-host Tony Dokoupil crassly attempted to claim that Conway was leaving the White House “because she saw the ship was sinking.”
Just imagine if Sasha or Malia Obama had spoken out against their parents on social media, would NBC have jumped on that? In fact, networks like NBC have even dismissed the idea of holding adult children of politicians accountable for shady financial dealings, like Hunter Biden.
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Here is a full transcript of the August 24 report:
7:34 AM ET
HODA KOTB: Alright, what do say we move to some family drama now at the White House, where President Trump’s long-time aide Kellyanne Conway announced last night she will be stepping down. Her husband George Conway, a fierce critic of the President, also making a big announcement, while one of their teenage daughters calls to be emancipated from her parents. NBC’s Hallie Jackson is back with more on that. Hey, Hallie, good morning.
HALLIE JACKSON: Hi, Hoda, good morning to you. An administration source says Kellyanne Conway told the President about this decision in the Oval Office less than 24 hours ago in the midst of a family dynamic that has really played out on social media. You’ve got the mother, a member of the President’s inner circle, the father is an outspoken critic of President Trump, and now their teenage daughter says she wants her freedom after her own posts have gone viral.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Kellyanne Conway Leaving White House; Family Drama Comes Hours Ahead of GOP Convention]
One of the President’s most loyal defenders, this morning, announcing she’s stepping down just hours before the Republican National Convention is set to kick off. Long-time Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway saying she’s leaving the White House at the end of the month, after some high-profile family drama.
CLAUDIA CONWAY [TIKTOK VIDEO]: How much did your family affect your political and religious views check.
JACKSON: Her 15-year-old daughter Claudia, who recently made headlines by sharing her more liberal views on TikTok, now says she’s seeking emancipation from both of her parents, tweeting over the weekend, “I'm officially pushing for emancipation. Buckle up because this is probably going to be public one way or another, unfortunately.”At one point last month, going as far as asking progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to adopt her.
Conway, announcing her plans to leave the White House in a statement late Sunday, calling her time in the Trump administration “heady” and “humbling,” explaining that she and her husband George are making the decision based on what they think is best for their four children.
George Conway, a conservative lawyer, has repeatedly gone after the President, saying he’s mentally unfit to serve office, with the President in turn calling him “a husband from hell.” George Conway’s announcing he’s also stepping back from his participation in The Lincoln Project, a group of Republicans devoted to defeating Donald Trump in November.
LINCOLN PROJECT AD: Trump talks a good game, but he’s not on our side. Never has been, never will be.
JACKSON: As for Kellyanne Conway, who made a name for herself defending the President...
KELLYANNE CONWAY: No, what he said was that it was embarrassing, it was wrong, he apologized for it. Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts to that. But the point remains –
CHUCK TODD: Wait a minute, alternative facts?
JACKSON: ...the mother of four saying she will announce her future plans in time, but for now, her focus is turning to her family, saying it’ll be, “Less drama, more mama.”
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: But Hallie, she was expected to speak at the Republican National Convention this week. Is that still on?
JACKSON: Yeah, that is, Savannah. Sources familiar with that planning say she is still set to deliver that address Wednesday evening at the RNC. She’ll transition out of the White House here about a week later. And she points out, with her kids all school age, all of them starting a new school year virtually because of coronavirus, that whole school from home thing is something that, as a lot of parents know, requires a level of attention and vigilance that she says is pretty unusual these days. Savannah?
GUTHRIE: Alright, Hallie, thank you very much.
