An angry Chris Matthews ended Wednesday’s Hardball by going on a “Trump Watch” diatribe about how he really wanted a verdict in the Trump-Russia probe. Of course, the only outcome he seemed to consider from a verdict was President Trump’s guilt. And bizarrely enough, Matthews admitted his “passion” for a verdict was driven by his recent viewing of a fictitious television series involving Russian spies working in America.
“A new poll shows that the public's appetite for the Mueller probe is dropping. A healthy majority wants it to continue but as I said, it's dropping,” Matthews whined. “A lot of this is easily explainable like anyone following a crime story or a jury trial. They are hungry for a verdict. I certainly am. I want to know.”
Matthews got indignant and almost appeared to demand to know what Mueller had on Trump. “And believe we all have a right to know at some point whether Robert Mueller with all the legal candlepower he's recruited to this mission, with all his powers as a prosecutor has a case that candidate Donald Trump colluded with the Russians in getting himself elected President,” he exclaimed.
That’s when he strangely confessed that what “stirred” his “passion” on the Russia probe was “watching the final episode of Homeland this season.” “It is searing to see the Russians trying to undermine our cherished democracy and more searing to see an American politician helping them on that show. And then trying to cover it up for them,” he steamed seemingly as if the show was depicting what was going on in reality.
He used the show as a jumping off point to speculate about what nefarious deeds Trump and his campaign might have been up too. “If Trump did this, if he and his operatives opened themselves as helping hands or willing recipients of Moscow's help, he doesn't deserve to be President,” he bitterly spat.
“If his people knew he was doing it enough of them would not have the vote for him to ensure that he wasn't. I have enough faith in my fellow Americans' patriotism whatever their politics to believe that,” he opined imagining a reversed election outcome.
He wrapped up his show by rambling on about how Mueller had a duty to unearth Trump’s crimes and lay them bare. Of course, Matthews already presumed guilt:
Let's let the cards fall where they do. If the Trump presidency is a house of cards, let it fall too. We can argue about the points of law and obstruction and whatever business misdeeds, of which, Trump might be guilty. I want to know, what the majority of Americans, again, have a right to know is whether he cheated to win by having the Russians, even at the margins, stacked the deck!
At no point did Matthews use any language that would allow for a presumption of innocence in the case. As with many in the liberal media, the conclusion was already drawn that there was nothing but a guilty verdict to be had.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
MSNBC's Hardball
May 2, 2018
7:58:38 PM EasternCHRIS MATTHEWS: Trump watch Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018. A new poll shows that the public's appetite for the Mueller probe is dropping. A healthy majority wants it to continue but as I said, it's dropping.
A lot of this is easily explainable like anyone following a crime story or a jury trial. They are hungry for a verdict. I certainly am. I want to know. And believe we all have a right to know at some point whether Robert Mueller with all the legal candlepower he's recruited to this mission, with all his powers as a prosecutor has a case that candidate Donald Trump colluded with the Russians in getting himself elected president.
My passion was stirred oddly on this matter by watching the final episode of Homeland this season. It is searing to see the Russians trying to undermine our cherished democracy and more searing to see an American politician helping them on that show. And then trying to cover it up for them.
If Trump did this, if he and his operatives opened themselves as helping hands or willing recipients of Moscow's help, he doesn't deserve to be president. If his people knew he was doing it enough of them would not have the vote for him to ensure that he wasn't. I have enough faith in my fellow Americans' patriotism whatever their politics to believe that.
So let's push on. There's no shot clock for getting the truth in this case. We need to know the truth. Did he or didn't he? Let's let the cards fall where they do. If the Trump presidency is a house of cards, let it fall too. We can argue about the points of law and obstruction and whatever business misdeeds, of which, Trump might be guilty. I want to know, what the majority of Americans, again, have a right to know is whether he cheated to win by having the Russians, even at the margins, stacked the deck!
And that’s Hardball.
