It might be safe to say that NBC political director Chuck Todd was invested in or, at least, very eager to have Democrats start actively chasing down President Trump via impeachment. After seemly trying to goad Congressional Democrats into starting an impeachment case earlier on Sunday, Todd grilled Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) during Meet the Press on why he and party leadership had not done more to get rid of Trump.
Before getting to the House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Todd gave viewers a crash course in what the Special Counsel investigation found. And in true Chuck Todd-fashion, he put his own spin on the findings. “It describes a campaign eager to accept the help of a hostile foreign power, Russia, and a President who later worked furiously to obstruct the investigation.” If that was true, then why were charges not filed against the President, or at least a recommendation for them to be filed?
“You have all of this case of obstruction presented in the Mueller report as you've just stated. Some might ask, why haven't you start—why haven’t you opened an impeachment inquiry? Or, in fairness, is that what you’re doing,” he pressed Nadler almost a half-hour later.
Todd wasn’t happy with Nadler’s explanation that Democrats were taking their time to make sure they had a case, to begin with. Talking over his guess (almost yelling), Todd grilled Nadler on the politics of chasing impeachment (Click “expand”):
TODD [Talking over Nadler]: Does the politics impact this, though? How much does the politics matter in this?
NADLER: And to go where the evidence leads us, I'm sorry?
TODD: How much does the politics impact this? As you know, impeachment gets politicized. So, you have a legal case that you believe this happens and you should do it but the politics dictates something else, how much is that going to influence this decision?
NADLER: I don't know. That will come down the road when we see what we have.
TODD: Is it in Nancy Pelosi's hands?
NADLER: Among others. She's not the only person. She's certainly the leader of the Democratic caucus, she’s the speaker of the House, it’s partly her and partly a lot of other people.
“Do you think this is impeachable,” Todd shot back sounding a bit annoyed. Nadler affirmed that he did think it was impeachable “if” Democrats could prove it. “And you’re going to go about to see if you can prove it,” Todd pushed. The Congressman said they were going to go where the facts took them.
Before going to a commercial break after the interview, Todd promoted the liberal media’s laughable claim that the Special Counsel’s report validated “most” of their reporting:
One item worth noting before we go to break, the Mueller report validates most -- not all but most of the reporting done by major news organizations throughout this investigation. Many, many of the stories we were told that were fake news show up as reported in the Mueller report and confirmed by first-hand accounts.
“It's something worth considering the next time you hear someone using the phrase “fake news” so loosely,” he chided.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC’s Meet the Press
April 21, 2019
10:32:35 a.m. EasternCHUCK TODD: Turning now, to the Mueller report. In so many ways, the rollout reflected the divisions in this country. It was a tale two of reports, or, more accurately, two tales of one report, with a divided public free to choose its version of the truth.
On one hand, there was President Trump and his supporters high fiving, celebrating with the help of the President’s new attorney general who framed the report, before its release, as an exoneration of a frustrated and angry president. On the other hand, there was the report itself, which had 448 pages, including many redactions, is a far cry from the President's favorite misleading “no collusion, no obstruction” soundbite.
It describes a campaign eager to accept the help of a hostile foreign power, Russia, and a President who later worked furiously to obstruct the investigation. In fact, Mr. Trump may have been saved from a formal obstruction charge by aides who saved him from himself. The Mueller team writes, "The President's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests."
(…)
11:04:54 a.m. Eastern
TODD: You have all of this case of obstruction presented in the Mueller report as you've just stated. Some might ask, why haven't you start—why haven’t you opened an impeachment inquiry? Or, in fairness, is that what you’re right doing?
REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): I don’t think we’re doing that. We may get to that, we may not. As I said before, it is our job to go through all the evidence, to all the information we can get and to –
TODD [Talking over Nadler]: Does the politics impact this, though? How much does the politics matter in this?
NADLER: And to go where the evidence leads us, I'm sorry?
TODD: How much does the politics impact this? As you know, impeachment gets politicized. So, you have a legal case that you believe this happens and you should do it but the politics dictates something else, how much is that going to influence this decision?
NADLER: I don't know. That will come down the road when we see what we have.
TODD: Is it in Nancy Pelosi's hands?
NADLER: Among others. She's not the only person. She's certainly the leader of the Democratic caucus, she’s the speaker of the House, it’s partly her and partly a lot of other people.
TODD: Do you think this is impeachable?
NADLER: Yeah, I do. I do think that this -- if proven, if proven, which hasn't been proven yet, some of this, if proven, some of this would be impeachable. Yes. Obstruction of justice if proven would be impeachable.
TODD: And you’re going to go about to see if you can prove it?
NADLER: We’re going to see where to it leads us.
TODD: All right, Congressman Jerry Nadler, Democrat from New York. Thanks for coming on and sharing your views sir.
NADLER: Thank you.
TODD: All right. One item worth noting before we go to break, the Mueller report validates most -- not all but most of the reporting done by major news organizations throughout this investigation. Many, many of the stories we were told that were fake news show up as reported in the Mueller report and confirmed by first-hand accounts. It's something worth considering the next time you hear someone using the phrase “fake news” so loosely.
