On Tuesday, moments after disgraced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his upcoming resignation from office following being accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, NBC News fretted that the development would “squash” coverage of a “political victory” for President Biden – the bipartisan infrastructure bill passing in the Senate.
“Well, what is so notable, Pete, is the Governor of New York choosing this particular day and even this hour to make this announcement,” correspondent Kelly O’Donnell remarked to anchor Pete Williams in the 12:00 p.m. ET hour special report. She then mourned that Democrats “have just had what is arguably the most significant political victory of President Biden’s time in office, and Governor Cuomo using the power of his own news-making ability to squash that in the moment.”
O’Donnell explained the narrative that the liberal press corps had been hoping to promote throughout the day: “That bipartisan infrastructure deal just passed in the last hour. The White House preparing to note that, celebrate it, with more work still to be done on the House side to be sure.”
Moments later, the reporter reiterated her lament that Cuomo finally deciding to step aside amid scandal “Effectively steps on the biggest political news for the Biden White House in quite some time and that is that bipartisan infrastructure package.” O’Donnell sympathized with the White House: “We’ll see how the President responds in the East Room this afternoon when he and the Vice President are scheduled to speak about their own legislative achievement, clearly questions about Andrew Cuomo will now be part of the news of the day.”
The leftist media just find it so inconvenient when a scandal-plagued Democrat overshadows the supposed achievement of a Democratic president. It was supposed to be a day of celebration for Biden and journalists.
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Here is a transcript of the August 10 exchange:
12:20 PM ET
(...)
PETE WILLIAMS: Kelly O’Donnell is now at the White House standing by. Of course President Biden had been among those urging him to step down. Kelly?
KELLY O’DONNELL: Well, what is so notable, Pete, is the Governor of New York choosing this particular day and even this hour to make this announcement. Yes, there had been calls from President Biden and from almost every top Democrat in the country, including Chuck Schumer, who is the leader of the Senate, and of course a Democrat of New York, as well as Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. But they have just had what is arguably the most significant political victory of President Biden’s time in office, and Governor Cuomo using the power of his own news-making ability to squash that in the moment. That bipartisan infrastructure deal just passed in the last hour. The White House preparing to note that, celebrate it, with more work still to be done on the House side to be sure.
But after calls for resignation from the President, who had been a long-time ally of Andrew Cuomo, both being in public life for the last four decades, picking this moment and this day is significant and certainly changes the trajectory of the White House plans for the day. We don’t have an official announcement yet. What we can tell you is in the West Wing offices there were aides huddled watching the announcement. We have reached out to senior officials to find out if there had been any heads up given to the White House. There had not been any conversations between President Biden and Andrew Cuomo since this official report by the New York attorney general became public. There were many times when they were asked if there had been any direct White House/Albany communication and we were told that had not been the case.
And certainly this is a day for Andrew Cuomo’s farewell speech to New York that we just saw. He’ll remain in office for 14 more days, as he explained. Effectively steps on the biggest political news for the Biden White House in quite some time and that is that bipartisan infrastructure package. We’ll see how the President responds in the East Room this afternoon when he and the Vice President are scheduled to speak about their own legislative achievement, clearly questions about Andrew Cuomo will now be part of the news of the day. Pete?
WILLIAMS: Kelly, thank you.
(...)
