There was more shoddy journalism form CNN talking head Jake Tapper during Sunday’s State of the Union as he repeatedly set up his Democratic guests to cast blame on President Trump for two mass shootings on Saturday. He also insinuated the President was a “racist” and “white nationalist” in the exact same vein as the shooter in El Paso, Texas.
Before boosting the liberal talking points against Trump (and pushing Democratic efforts to curtail and/or eliminate the Second Amendment) Tapper lashed out at Republican lawmakers in Ohio and Texas (the locations of the shootings) for not coming on his show to be assailed:
We should note that we invited the Republican governor, lieutenant governor, and both Republican U.S. Senators representing Texas to join us this morning. They all declined. The Republican governor of Ohio also declined. He also asked the White House to provide someone to discuss the shootings, that request too was declined.
Tapper was essentially whining that they wouldn’t drop what they were doing in terms of managing the situation in their states to come on his show. Or, perhaps they saw Tapper’s true colors when he hosted the show trial that was the Parkland town hall and knew they wouldn’t get a fair or reasonable host.
The first at-bat was former El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke. Tapper quoted Washington Governor Jay Inslee and suggested Trump was a “white nationalist”. “That is a fragrantly stark accusation, do you agree with that? Do you think President Trump is a white nationalist,” he wondered. Of course, O’Rourke agreed.
There was a similar question for South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg:
TAPPER: What is the current reality? Congressman Beto O’Rourke and Governor Jay Inslee have said they think President Trump is a white nationalist. Do you?
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG: Yeah. I mean, at best he's condoning and encouraging white nationalism.
Twice during interviews with 2020 Democratic hopefuls, Tapper noted that the shooter allegedly wrote that he had an anti-immigrant sentiment long before President Trump and was not influenced by him. And twice Tapper claimed that was “hard to make sense of”.
But still, Tapper tried to make the connection while speaking to New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. “[T]his white supremacist in El Paso wrote it, he used the language that we've heard from the President in terms of calling migrants coming into this country an invasion. It’s in second sentence of this manifesto or screed, which is obviously something that President Trump has said,” Tapper posed.
Tapper also quoted O’Rourke to former HUD secretary and 2020 contender Julian Castro and insisted Trump caused the violence:
Your campaign rival and fellow Texan, former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, said, quote, “President Trump's racism does not just offend our sensibilities, but challenges the character of this country and leads to violence.” You haven't gone that far this morning. Do you think that Congressman O’Rourke is saying something that's unfair? Do you see any sort of link between the comments the President makes and this kind of violence? What do you think?
The CNN host even pestered El Paso mayor, Dee Margo with a question about Trump’s alleged racism. “Beto O’Rourke, told me earlier in the show that in his view the President's anti-immigrant rhetoric is make things worse and creating an atmosphere of violence,” Tapper prefaced. “Do you agree? Do you have any concerns about the things that the President says about immigrants?”
Mayor Margo rightly brushed Tapper aside: “Jake, I'm not qualified to comment on that. I'm not a talking head. I'm focusing on El Pasoians, the 20 deaths, and their families and what it means this community, and how we can come together and not be victimized by this. This will not define us.”
This mess was to be expected from Tapper. Not only was he staunchly anti-Trump but he’s also staunchly anti-gun. If his pathetic handling of the Parkland town hall wasn’t enough, Tapper was once a member of the anti-gun Brady Center.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s State of the Union
August 4, 2019
9:01:40 a.m. EasternJAKE TAPPER: Moments ago, President Trump tweeted out prayers for people of El Paso and the people of Dayton, yesterday he called the El Paso shooting, quote, “an act of cowardice”. This morning lawmakers and presidential candidates already are beginning to call for change. We're going to talk with at least four presidential candidates today about what they would do to stop this epidemic of mass shootings and shootings.
We should note that we invited the Republican governor, lieutenant governor, and both Republican U.S. Senators representing Texas to join us this morning. They all declined. The Republican governor of Ohio also declined. He also asked the White House to provide someone to discuss the shootings, that request too was declined.
Joining me now former congressman from El Paso and 2020 presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke. Congressman O’Rourke, thank you for joining us on this horrible day for your community. Our thoughts and prayers are such a cliché at this point but we're all feeling the pain of what is going on in El Paso and in Dayton.
(…)
9:07:13 a.m. Eastern
TAPPER: So, Congressman, you wrote on Twitter and said publicly in El Paso, “President Trump's racism does not just offend our sensibilities it fundamentally changes the character of this country and it leads to violence.”
Now, the document that this terrorist in El Paso, that law enforcement is investigating whether he posted this document, which refers to Latinos coming to the country as an invasion which you noted is language that we've heard from the President of the United States.
It also says, and I know -- it is hard to make sense of any of this though. But it also said that he had this ideology before President Trump. He kind of anticipated, assuming this document is real, the alleged terrorist anticipated people would blame President Trump for it and said I felt this way before President Trump.
(…)
9:13:26 a.m. Eastern
TAPPER: But let me move on. Because during one of the debates, your 2020 opponent Governor Jay Inslee of Washington said that President Trump is a, quote, “white nationalist”. That is a fragrantly stark accusation, do you agree with that? Do you think President Trump is a white nationalist?
BETO O’ROURKE: Yes, I do.
(…)
9:22:36 a.m. Eastern
TAPPER: Some of the Democrats running for president not only are faulting the President for his rhetoric but saying that that rhetoric in their view, you heard Congressman Beto O’Rourke maybe, leads to this, causes violence. Do you agree or does that go too far?
SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D-OH): I don't know. I can't prove anything. But I do know that we've had two presidents, the two preceding presidents who dealt with terrible terrorism and mass shootings, tried to heal and this president doesn't. I don't -- I know that white supremacists feel empowered with this President. I know that. It’s clear they feel empowered when he attacks people.
(…)
9:40:25 a.m. Eastern
TAPPER: What is the current reality? Congressman Beto O’Rourke and Governor Jay Inslee have said they think President Trump is a white nationalist. Do you?
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG: Yeah. I mean, at best he's condoning and encouraging white nationalism.
(…)
10:06:12 a.m. Eastern
TAPPER: Former congressman from El Paso, Beto O’Rourke, told me earlier in the show that in his view the President's anti-immigrant rhetoric is make things worse and creating an atmosphere of violence. Do you agree? Do you have any concerns about the things that the President says about immigrants?
MAYOR DEE MARGO (El Paso): Jake, I'm not qualified to comment on that. I'm not a talking head. I'm focusing on El Pasoians, the 20 deaths, and their families and what it means this community, and how we can come together and not be victimized by this. This will not define us.
(…)
10:28:20 a.m. Eastern
TAPPER: Now, the screed, the document that law enforcement, who is looking into, whether this terrorist, this white supremacist in El Paso wrote it, he used the language that we've heard from the President in terms of calling migrants coming into this country an invasion. It’s in second sentence of this manifesto or screed, which is obviously something that President Trump has said.
But the shooter also said he thought this way and had these beliefs before President Trump and that President Trump is not responsible. I don't know how you make sense of any of this, but what did you think when you saw that?
SEN. CORY BOOKER: Well a mass murderer who is trafficking in hatred and bigotry, literally trying to give some kind of exculpatory reaction to the President. I mean, come on. Our President right now is using the same language of racism, of bigotry, and white supremacy.
(…)
10:43:12 a.m. Eastern
TAPPER: Your campaign rival and fellow Texan, former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, said, quote, “President Trump's racism does not just offend our sensibilities, but challenges the character of this country and leads to violence.” You haven't gone that far this morning. Do you think that Congressman O’Rourke is saying something that's unfair? Do you see any sort of link between the comments the President makes and this kind of violence? What do you think?
JULIAN CASTRO: I believe that president trump is making it worse. Look, the person that is responsible for this shooting is the shooter.
(…)
