There is nothing Judge Brett Kavanaugh can do to clear his name in the eyes of the ravenous liberal media. Even after his interview on Fox News in which he defended himself and his reputation from the dubious allegations, it drew the ire of those who wanted his nomination to fail. During Tuesday’s MTP Daily on MSNBC, host Chuck Todd slapped the Supreme Court nominee with a “partisan warrior” label for the effort.
Todd began the program by decrying the “all-out PR blitz” “aimed at trying to ram through” Kavanaugh’s nomination. He told viewers it was “a shock and awe strategy” filled with “Trump-style playbook of denials, counter-strikes, claims of a vast left-wing conspiracy, and overt attacks on Kavanaugh's accusers”.
After playing clips of White House officials and Republican leaders defending Kavanaugh, Todd lambasted the Judge for his Fox News interview. “And folks, pretty much everything you've heard follows Kavanaugh himself playing something that I don't think that we've ever seen a Supreme Court nominee do, playing the part of partisan warrior by going on Fox News last night,” he chided.
During a discussion about the interview between Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus and Free Beacon editor-in-chief Matthew Continetti, Todd interjected to take another shot at Kavanaugh. “[T]hat is what I'm curious about, this decision to do what no Supreme Court nominee has ever done. And it is to sort of fight for your life in the political square,” he told them.
According to Todd, giving the interview to Fox News somehow called into question the Judge’s previous testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee where he talked about how a judge needed to be “neutral and impartial arbiter who favors no litigant or policy”.
“It was jarring to see him not even sit in front with the Fox News journalist, but with one of the opinion show hosts,” he asserted while taking a cheap shot at the respected Martha MacCallum. We’re sorry to break it to Chuck, but he runs a couple opinion shows himself.
“And not go to a CBS or PBS, somewhere else as well if he was going to do this. Does it make him a partisan warrior now,” he wondered aloud.
Playing off of Todd, Marcus noted that after the Monica Lewinski scandal first broke, President Bill Clinton went to PBS first. “True neutral ground,” Todd declared. While Marcus agreed PBS was (somehow) “neutral territory” and said she didn’t “begrudge a nominee in this environment doing something that no nominee has done before”, she found “the choice of Fox was a little hard to square.”
Maybe the choice had something to do with the fact that Fox News was the one TV outlet not actively trying to kill his chances. Sort of like Todd did at the top of the show when he alluded to claims “there might be a third according to an attorney for a woman who has yet to come forward.” But what was known at the time was that those claims came from lawyer Michael Avenatti and, despite his admant denials, there were rumors circulating he was tricked by 4Chan users.
Todd also took issue with Kavanaugh’s “blanket denials” of the charges against him. “Like there is one picture being painted of him as -- to be generous -- the frat boy who maybe drinks too much. He’s painting a picture that says I wasn't even that. I'm not anything near even what my friend wrote in his book,” he huffed.
Continetti embarrassed Todd by breaking down the truth of what Kavanaugh was claiming about himself. “He also said it in that interview that we do things in high school that we don't always like to look back on and such. I think that he didn't foreclose the possibility that he ever drank,” he explained. “What he’s denying is drinking to the point that he would black out, which of course would suggest that there might be more creditability to Dr. Ford's story.”
Chuck Todd is the same MSNBC host that laughably declared himself a “referee” enforcing political “rules”. He deserves an “un-sportsman like conduct” penalty.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
MSNBC's MTP Daily
September 25, 2018
5:00 p.m. EasternCHUCK TODD: We begin tonight with an all-out PR blitz. A blitz that’s aimed at trying to ram through the President's embattled Supreme Court pick Judge Brett Kavanaugh who is now facing two allegations of sexual misconduct ahead of this Thursday's public testimony. And there might be a third according to an attorney for a woman who has yet to come forward.
But folks, it has been 24 hours of what you might call a shock and awe strategy from the Judge himself, the President, the White House communications team, and Republican leadership in the Senate seemingly all in an attempt to shore up the base, which didn't make Kavanaugh more confirmable, as for as the middle of the country is concerned. But this is a base strategy right now. The airways are awash in a Trump-style playbook of denials, counter-strikes, claims of a vast left-wing conspiracy, and overt attacks on Kavanaugh's accusers. The President today questioned the accounts of both Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges assaulted her in high school, and Deborah Ramirez, who alleges that he may have exposed himself to her in college. All of which Kavanaugh strenuously denies.
(…)
TODD: The President today also blasted Democrats who have rallied behind Kavanaugh's accusers.
(…)
TODD: And folks, pretty much everything you've heard follows Kavanaugh himself playing something that I don't think that we've ever seen a Supreme Court nominee do, playing the part of partisan warrior by going on Fox News last night.
(…)
5:06:32 p.m. Eastern
RUTH MARCUS: But I think we really need to make sure that we don't lose track of the real shift in strategy from the Republicans. Because it feels like months ago, but it was just last week that the strategy laid out by Kellyanne Conway and executed by others including amazingly the President was respectful, people should be heard, let them have their voice, and their agency and everybody seemed very not totally woke, but at least going along with the game. All of a sudden we're back to vast left-wing conspiracy.
TODD: Isn't it what Matthew [Continetti] pointed out? It is the New Yorker allegation seemed to spark this.
MARCUS: And I understand the reaction to the New Yorker allegation and the questions about the weakness of the corroboration, but I also think it is necessitated by the reality that you’re now fighting a two-front war instead of a one-front war.
(…)
5:09 p.m. Eastern
MARCUS: I think we could see the same difference when she goes public. If she looks credible, if she seems really just overwhelmed by this in a way that kind of breaks people's hearts out there watching her, it could really --
MATTHEW CONTINETTI: But she won’t be the only one testifying.
[Cross talk]
CONTINETTI: Kavanaugh also has a story to tell. And there were moments in that interview last night that were quite emotional. And I think it would play well.
TODD: And that is what I'm curious about, this decision to do what no Supreme Court nominee has ever done. And it is to sort of fight for your life in the political square. It’s an interesting decision. And I say this because I want to play for you something Brett Kavanaugh said in his opening statement on September 4. Here it is.
BRETT KAVANAUGH: A good judge must be an umpire. A neutral and impartial arbiter who favors no litigant or policy. The Supreme Court must never, never be viewed as a partisan institution. The justices on the Supreme Court do not sit on opposite sides of an aisle. They do not caucus in separate rooms.
TODD: It was jarring to see him not even sit in front with the Fox News journalist, but with one of the opinion show hosts. And not go to a CBS or PBS, somewhere else as well if he was going to do this. Does it make him a partisan warrior now?
CONTINETTI: I think the court itself has revealed itself to be a partisan battleground as a result of this.
(…)
MARCUS: It is interesting when Bill Clinton was first accused by Monica Lewinsky, I think he went to PBS. Right? To do his--
TODD: Almost like a neutral ground. True neutral ground.
MARCUS: Neutral territory. And in a world where the news cycle is so quick and you need to defend yourself, and I thought his appearance was quite powerful. Especially alongside his wife. I sort of don't begrudge a nominee in this environment doing something that no nominee has done before. I do think the choice of Fox was a little hard to square.
(…)
TODD: Let me bring up something from the interview which is something that this was a blanket denial that I have a feeling is going to get cross-examined a lot on Thursday. Let me play it.
(…)
TODD: So it is complete blanket denials. Like there is one picture being painted of him as to be generous the frat boy who maybe drinks too much. He’s painting a picture that says I wasn't even that. I'm not anything near even what my friend wrote in his book.
(…)
CONTINETTI: He also said it in that interview that we do things in high school that we don't always like to look back on and such. I think that he didn't foreclose the possibility that he ever drank.
TODD: No, I understand that, but --
CONTINETTI: What he’s denying is drinking to the point that he would blackout, which of course would suggest that there might be more creditability to Dr. Ford's story. So I think if you look at his answers closely, he is not denying being a drinker and of course, that is not what is at stake here. You can't --
TODD: It’s not at all. But my point is he may potentially allow this to then create credibility questions about other things.
(…)
