On Wednesday, MRC founder and president L. Brent Bozell appeared on WMAL’s O’Connor and Company to break down ABC’s awful debate moderator performance put in by anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Bozell told the O’Connor and Company’s Julie Gunlock and Andrew Langer that the hatchet job by the moderators was expected: “Speaking for the Media Research Center — we weren’t in the slightest bit surprised at what happened last night.” Bozell added that Trump has “Gone through it with every network but ABC has clearly been the worst all along.”
Bozell didn’t pull any punches as he blasted: “Let me tell you something, whoever it was on the Trump campaign who selected ABC should be fired this morning….The President said last night ‘You should fire incompetent staff,’ this was an incompetent staff.”
Bozell implied the Trump staff should have seen the attack coming from ABC’s moderators as he cited MRC research:
Look at the study we just did and it’s one of countless studies. One-hundred percent positive coverage of Kamala Harris during a time where she either won’t do pressers, won’t do interviews, puts out no policy positions, says in speeches things that are flat-out untrue lies. There is a record that could be reported if they had wanted to.
Bozell continued: “ABC gave her 100 percent positive news. At the same time, when Donald Trump is gaining in the polls, when Donald Trump has a magnificent convention. When Donald Trump — damn it — is shot in the head 93 percent negative coverage. And someone said “Let’s do an interview on — let’s do, let’s do a debate on ABC because it’s going to be fair.”
Bozell then went to the “stats sheets” to further buttress his point:
If you look at the favorable questions it’s 2 to 1 in favor of Harris. But now consider the fact that while Donald Trump was giving an answer they fact-checked him six times….How many times was Kamala fact-checked? Every single answer she gave, she lied. She obfuscated, she dodged it, she wouldn’t answer the question. She tried to blame Donald Trump for Afghanistan….How many times did the moderators say “Now wait a minute, you’re wrong about that?” Zero!
The following is the full segment as aired on the September 11 edition of WMAL’s O’Connor and Company:
JULIE GUNLOCK: Joining us now is Brent Bozell, Media Research Center. Brent, my goodness! Where to start? Have you ever witnessed such a spectacle as what we saw last night with David Muir and Linsey Davis, firefighting and helping Kamala Harris?
L.BRENT BOZELL: Well I have to tell you — speaking for the Media Research Center — we weren’t in the slightest bit surprised at what happened last night. The only difference was it was for all of America, not just ABC’s audience but all of America to see what Donald Trump has gone through with ABC News. He’s gone through it with every network but ABC has clearly been the worst all along. And let me tell you something, whoever it was on the Trump campaign who selected ABC should be fired this morning. That is a person who is an utter incompetent and has no idea what he or she is doing — whoever it was. And make no bones about this. The President said last night “You should fire incompetent staff,” this was an incompetent staff.
Look at the study we just did and it’s one of countless studies. One-hundred percent positive coverage of Kamala Harris during a time where she either won’t do pressers, won’t do interviews, puts out no policy positions, says in speeches things that are flat-out untrue lies. There is a record that could be reported if they had wanted to. Forget the press conferences, forget the interviews. Why not just do the news? Why not just look at the fact that as border czar she’s never been to the border. Never been to a conflict zone. Why couldn’t they have reported this? ABC gave her 100 percent positive news. At the same time, when Donald Trump is gaining in the polls, when Donald Trump has a magnificent convention. When Donald Trump — damn it — is shot in the head 93 percent negative coverage. And someone said “Let’s do an interview on — let’s do, let’s do a debate on ABC because it’s going to be fair.”
GUNLOCK: One of the most galling moments was when — just as you mentioned — you know Trump brings up the assassination attempt and they cut him off. Let’s play cut 45.
[Begin clip]
DONALD TRUMP: This is the one that weaponized. Not me. She weaponized. I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me. They talk about democracy. “I’m a threat to democracy.”
DAVID MUIR: President Trump.
TRUMP: They’re the threat to democracy with their fake “Russia, Russia, Russia” investigation that went nowhere.
DAVID MUIR: We do have a lot to get — we have a lot to get to. Linsey?
[End clip]
GUNLOCK: Unbelievable! They say “Moving on, moving on!”
ANDREW LANGER: Right, nothing to see here.
GUNLOCK: No exploration.
BOZELL: Look, I’m gonna say it. Donald Trump did not prepare. She prepared magnificently and that has to be said. But in that soundbite Donald Trump was 100 percent correct.
LANGER: Right.
BOZELL: The Left is painting him in such an ugly way that their looney supporters are taking to the extremes of wanting to kill him. And so that’s true what he said and that’s what David Muir knew was to be true. And that’s why he cut him off.
LANGER: You know, and I think you’re right there, Brent. We’re talking with Brent Bozell from the Media Research Center. I don’t think Donald Trump was particularly prepared and he was drawn down these rabbit holes but — right? They were rabbit holes that were created because the moderators were just teeing up these softball questions. You know it was, it was like this — you know? “Donald Trump, why are you evil? Kamala Harris, why are you wonderful?” And, and you know Kamala Harris gives her everything — “Well I’m wonderful because X,Y and Z. Oh and Donald Trump doesn’t have people going to his rallies.” Which — you know — and he, and he went right for, right for the trap. But the traps couldn’t have been sprung if the moderators would have asked her any – anything sort of remotely approaching a tough question.
BOZELL: You are entirely correct, Andrew. Here’s the stat sheets on this. If you look at the favorable questions it’s 2 to 1 in favor of Harris. But now consider the fact that while Donald Trump was giving an answer they fact-checked him six times. They ought not to have fact-checked him once. They fact-checked him six times. How many times was Kamala fact-checked? Every single answer she gave, she lied. She obfuscated, she dodged it, she wouldn’t answer the question. She tried to blame Donald Trump for Afghanistan.
LANGER: Right.
BOZELL: How many times did the moderators say “Now wait a minute, you’re wrong about that?” Zero!
LANGER: There you go! That was the question, whether or not they’d done it once?
BOZELL: So you look at it that way, and the number is 4 to 1.
GUNLOCK: There was one interesting moment where they were talking about abortion and suddenly — on the issue that the Left considers her strongest on, you know killing babies — suddenly her mic was left on. What do you make of that? On purpose?
BOZELL: I don’t know, I don’t know. But I do know this, I do know this. I do know she didn’t answer the question, when she was asked “What are the limits?” And I do know this. That when Donald Trump said that their laws allow babies to die after they are born and he was fact-checked by David Muir. David Muir needs to be fact-checked because David Muir got it wrong and Donald Trump was right. Again, I mean if they can’t win telling the truth they try to win telling a lie.
GUNLOCK: Listen Brent, I was looking forward to this conversation all morning because I knew that you would have great analysis. Thanks so much for joining us this morning.
BOZELL: Thanks as always for having me.
