Despite calling it a distraction and saying it was taking too much time away from attacking President Trump on other topics, CNN’s Chris Cuomo spent a lot of Monday’s PrimeTime ranting and raging at the President for announcing he was taking the anti-malaria drug, Hydroxychloroquine. One of the stories Cuomo wished was getting more play was how Trump was supposedly responsible for the 2019 terrorist attack at a naval base in Pensacola, Florida.
“So, our President wants to talk about how strong he is to take hydroxychloroquine because he just does everything he can to make himself strong and make this country strong,” Cuomo chided. “I don't know that it will help with his health, but it certainly helps to cover up his weaknesses.”
After suggesting that the announcement kept the media from pressing Trump on his lack of a plan to re-open the country, Cuomo argued that “he bought a pass today on a bad piece of news that I bet you probably haven't even heard about.”
According to Cuomo, that “bad piece of news” Trump dodged was how he was to blame for that terrorist attack:
Did you know that the first foreign-directed terror attack since 9/11, foreign-directed, happened on Trump's watch? We now know the FBI has found an Al Qaeda link to that Pensacola attack last year at the military base. They were able to break the encryption on the attacker's iPhone.
Now, we knew he was a Saudi military trainee. Remember? It was all put on the Saudis, right? Remember that? It was all put on the Saudis by the Trump administration.
“So, again, you're not hearing about that today. Why? Because you're hearing about hydroxychloroquine,” Cuomo vented. “You're not getting pressed by the press to the President about how do we re-open, how do you bring these states together? How do you it so you balance what we need and what we want?”
To answer that question, Cuomo brought on Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who he had praised as “one of the smartest men I know.”
Disregarding the fact that Trump had a prescription from his doctor and said he was only taking one dose a day, Cuomo asked Sanders: “The idea of just in case, Senator, we need you, you're one of the leaders of this country, should you be popping some hydroxychloroquine like Tic-Tacs just in case?”
One of the gripes Cuomo had and wanted to take up with Sanders was the idea that Trump was setting up the Democratic Party as the party of “no”:
They are getting set up as the party of “no” here. “Hydroxychloroquine. I'm going to take it, what do you have to lose?” “No, no, no.” Who's saying that? Almost every one of them Democrat. “Let's re-open, come on, let's go with it, man. We're strong. We'll see what happens.” “No, no, no, no!” Who’s saying that? Democrats. They say “science,” they say “reason.” But you know what a lot of people in America hear? “No.”
So, according to Cuomo, who flaunted quarantine and had a brother (Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo) who put coronavirus patients in nursing homes, only Democrats were people of “science” and “reason.” This is CNN.
The transcript is below click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Cuomo PrimeTime
May 18, 2020
9:26:31 p.m. EasternCHRIS CUOMO: All right. Look. Everybody keeps saying, “can't have any politics in play.” You never hear me say it because I've always assumed it was. Look, I'm not cynical. Okay? I haven't gotten tired of caring. It's the opposite. I just see what's happening here. It's all politics. And forget about just beating up on the President. It's not what this is about. What about the Democrats?
They are getting set up as the party of “no” here. “Hydroxychloroquine. I'm going to take it, what do you have to lose?” “No, no, no.” Who's saying that? Almost every one of them Democrat. “Let's re-open, come on, let's go with it, man. We're strong. We'll see what happens.” “No, no, no, no!” Who’s saying that? Democrats.
They say “science,” they say “reason.” But you know what a lot of people in America hear? “No.” And they don't like it. So am I wrong? Let's talk to one of the prominent members of the party. One of the smartest men I know. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont here next.
(…)
9:31:42 p.m. Eastern
CUOMO: So, our President wants to talk about how strong he is to take hydroxychloroquine because he just does everything he can to make himself strong and make this country strong. And I hope doing whatever he does keeps him strong, science notwithstanding. I know this much, I don't know that it will help with his health, but it certainly helps to cover up his weaknesses.
Another day that most of the media wouldn't be pressing him about never dealing in any real way with how we re-open. And he bought a pass today on a bad piece of news that I bet you probably haven't even heard about.
Did you know that the first foreign-directed terror attack since 9/11, foreign-directed, happened on Trump's watch? We now know the FBI has found an Al Qaeda link to that Pensacola attack last year at the military base. They were able to break the encryption on the attacker's iPhone.
Now, we knew he was a Saudi military trainee. Remember? It was all put on the Saudis, right? Remember that? It was all put on the Saudis by the Trump administration. Well, now we learned he was apparently a longtime associate of Al Qaeda who had communicated with operatives from the group as recently as the night before the shooting.
(…)
So, again, you're not hearing about that today. Why? Because you're hearing about hydroxychloroquine. You're not getting pressed by the press to the President about how do we re-open, how do you bring these states together? How do you it so you balance what we need and what we want?
Let's bring in Senator Bernie Sanders. Always a pleasure to see you. You look well. I hope you and the family are great.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): We're doing great. How are you doing?
CUOMO: Better than I deserve. The idea of just in case, Senator, we need you, you're one of the leaders of this country, should you be popping some hydroxychloroquine like Tic-Tacs just in case?
SANDERS: Just in case, no. No big-time, you know. I think it's good idea to listen to what doctors have to say. And what they are saying is that particular drug has not been proven to prevent the coronavirus and, in fact, it has some pretty nasty side effects. So, no, I would not be taking it.
(…)
9:37:23 p.m. Eastern
CUOMO: What is your thought about an emerging theory that I have, which is he is painting you, not just Bernie Sanders, it would be hard to do it to you, honestly, because you have been pushing the Democratic Party to become the party of yes. “Yes, we'll try this, yes, we'll do that, yes, we'll expand this.” And you had a big impact on the culture of your party's rhetoric, at least. We'll see what Biden runs on and what the Congress backs up on.
But he's now painting you as the party of “no.” Re-open? No, no, no, no, not yet. Get back to work? No, no, no, no you can't do it this way. Get back to living? No, no, no. He's painting himself as “yes” man and you as “no” man. Are you worried about that as a party person?
(…)
