MRC Research Director and NewsBusters senior editor Rich Noyes appeared on Friday's "The Big Story with John Gibson" on the Fox News Channel to discuss how MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews declared that the administration has “been caught in their criminality” just days before he was scheduled to co-moderate a GOP presidential debate on CNBC.
Video (4:38): Real (3.58 MB) and Windows (2.98 MB), plus MP3 audio (2.22 MB)
Here’s an excerpt:
JOHN GIBSON: The man who will co-moderate the Republican presidential debate next week in Michigan thinks our President is a criminal. It's outrageous and there is more. NBC anchor Chris Matthews took to the microphone at a public event last night with high ranking NBC executives in the audience. After thanking his colleagues for hard work, Matthews thanked God Vice President Cheney wasn't in office during the Cuban missile crisis. He then accused the administration of, quote, "trying to silence him" over the years. And then there was this: The Bush White House has, quote, "finally been caught in their criminality."
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a man who's been chosen by NBC to front their election coverage, and he just called our President a criminal. How in the world can NBC put on a fair debate with a moderator like Matthews? With me now, Rich Noyes, Director of Research for the Media Research Center. So, Rich, Matthews says that, an NBC News anchor says, Bush is criminal. Is the peacock showing its bias?
RICH NOYES: Oh, I think quite transparently, and they've been showing it for a very long time. I mean, a couple weeks ago Chris Matthews suggested that we put Exxon and Mobil signs over Arlington National Cemetery because this is a war for oil. He suggested after anchoring coverage of the President's speech on Iraq -- he asked Senator Joe Biden whether or not the President really believed this stuff or was just selling it -- you know, to him it was all delusional fantasies. He has been very, very outspoken in his opinions. They've been vehemently anti-administration, anti Iraq war.
