Playing both offense and defense for Kamala Harris in one CNN This Morning appearance, CNN.com White House reporter Stephen Collinson more than earned his Team Kamala stripes today.
In commenting in his snobbish British accent on Jack Smith's recycled Trump indictment, Collinson kvetched that it's taken too long to bring Trump to trial over January 6th.
"It raises the question of how has it been so difficult to bring a president who tried to subvert democracy to account before the next election in which he's standing....
When future generations look back at this, they will puzzle about the question of how this took so long to deal with in the American political and legal system. To the extent to which the person who is widely seen as responsible for those, for that [riot] footage, has a chance to become president again, right?"
In other words, CNN folks think the Justice Department should have been weaponized more effectively to make Trump un-electable. Nevertheless, Collinson is bringing the hype on CNN.com with the headline "Trump’s new indictment rocks his newly reshaped race against Kamala Harris."
Later, in discussing the upcoming Harris-Walz interview with CNN's Dana Bash scheduled for tomorrow, CNN host Kasie Hunt brought up the Holt mess, in which Kamala countered Holt's observation that she hadn't been to the border by saying that she hadn't been to Europe, either, and didn't understand his point.
And a Lester Holt interview wasn't exactly like sitting down on Fox with Bret Baier. She screwed it up any way.
Hunt said, "I know from talking to sources, that in particular this moment that she had with Lester Holt in a major interview in 2021 is something that has stuck with her. Something they still talk about."
Collinson defended the poor thing: "I think that interview took place right at the beginning. I think it's fair to say she wasn't very well prepared. The whole issue of what her job was on the border wasn't well-defined."
Wrong! Biden appointed her on March 24, 2021, and the Holt interview was on June 8th of that year. Seventy-six days in, and she still couldn't figure out what she was supposed to be doing?
Nice try, Collinson!
Here's the transcript.
CNN This Morning
8/28/24
6:07 am EDTKASIE HUNT: Stephen Collinson, you paint big pictures for us every day, and I know you've written about Donald Trump's superseding indictment. I was just struck by how this new footage [of Pelosi leaving the Capitol on J6] kind of underscores and sort of pulls out the picture that Jack Smith is painting.
Obviously, he was forced to do this because of the Supreme Court immunity ruling. But this all really does thrust January 6, the events of that day, back into the spotlight, as well as, of course, indicting Trump again and reigniting the narrative that he wants to push about persecution against him.
How do you see what we just have learned about how Pelosi handled that day? How do you understand how it fits in with Donald Trump, and how it's going to affect the race?
STEPHEN COLLINSON: Well, it's shocking again when you see that. This issue has faded somewhat from the campaign during the whole period of President Biden's debate performance, him having to step down, the excitement over the new Democratic candidate.
But looking at that again, it brings it all back and it raises the question of how has it been so difficult to bring a president who tried to subvert democracy to account before the next election in which he's standing. And it raises the questions about what would happen if he wins.
This new indictment is not going to decide the election, but the election probably will decide the fate of this case. Because if Trump gets back into power, he'll appoint an attorney general, and this will be all washed under the carpet. If Harris wins, presumably there'll be the space for Smith to continue, pending Supreme Court interventions, to get this case to fruition.
But I think when we look back in, when future generations look back at this, they will puzzle about the question of how this took so long to deal with in the American political and legal system. To the extent to which the person who is widely seen as responsible for those, for that footage, has a chance to become president again, right?
. . .
HUNT: Stephen Collinson, part of why there has been this focus on it [Harris-Walz interview with Dana Bash scheduled for August 29th] is because there is this sort of history of Harris in some cases struggling.
And I know from talking to sources, that in particular this moment that she had with Lester Holt in a major interview in 2021 is something that has stuck with her. Something they still talk about. Let's watch that moment, and then I just want to get you to weigh in briefly. Watch.
KAMALA HARRIS: We are going to the border. We've been to the border. So this whole, this whole, this whole thing about the border. We've been to the border. We've been to the border.
LESTER HOLT: You haven't been to the border.
HARRIS: And I haven't been to Europe [laughs nervously.] I mean, I don't, I don't understand the point that you're making.
HUNT: So, what do you see in that moment that could inform how this interview may play out?
COLLINSON: That interview has hung over the entire vice presidency, and it's formed a lot of the political attack lines of the Trump administration, the Trump campaign, has been pushing forward.
I think that interview took place right at the beginning. I think it's fair to say she wasn't very well prepared. The whole issue of what her job was on the border wasn't well-defined.
She is going to be ultra-prepared for this one. It's coming as you said, right in the middle of debate preparation. The Trump campaign believes it will expose her as not ready for prime time, not fit to serve in the Oval Office.
If the other side of that happens, if she does get through it fairly well, I think that will take away one of the attack lines of the Trump team has been using. And whatever happens: if she does well, if she doesn't, it's going to raise this it takes massively for the debate on September the 10th.
