Bootlicking: CNN’s Stelter Embarrasses Himself With Gooey Psaki Interview

June 6th, 2021 2:09 PM

As a feature during Sunday’s so-called “Reliable Sources,” CNN host Brian Stelter flaunted a pre-taped interview with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki where he came off as a bootlicker for the Biden administrations. Stelter ultimately embarrassed himself with softball question after softball question that added up into a huff piece for the Press Secretary. He even invited her to lash the media for getting stuff wrong with their reporting on the administration.

Stelter’s first question out of the gate was him asking Psaki to rip the press of inaccuracies in their reporting about Biden. “Busy summer ahead, infrastructure, election reform, what does the press get wrong when covering Biden's agenda, when you watch the news, when you read the news what, do you think we get wrong,” he begged her.

It was just last year that Stelter and the rest of the liberal media would treat Trump Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s criticisms of the press as a threat to the First Amendment.

Either way, Psaki suggested that the media’s journalistic “muscles have atrophied a little bit over the last few years” because of former President Trump. She even quipped that the media had a bad long-term memory for how legislation got passed. Of course, Stelter just sat there and laughed.

That question was followed up with Stelter asking Psaki about her feelings and how frustrating it could be dealing with the press (click “expand”):

 

 

STELTER: There were times in your briefing where you seem so comfortable and then there’s times when you seem frustrated by the lines of questioning. So, I want to know what the job is like versus what you expected it to be like?

PSAKI: Well, I'm a human being. So, even though every day I try to be completely even-keeled. And always, my objective, per the President's direction is to treat people with respect and take questions and provide accurate information. That’s my goal every day.

At one point in her answer, Psaki said she would get frustrated by how “the premise of a question is based in inaccurate, misleading information.” This prompted Stelter to press her on why she continued to take questions from outlets like Fox News and Newsmax.

While claiming he supported the idea that those outlets should still be called on, Stelter noted that “a lot of liberals don't want Fox News to get called on.” “So, why do you call on Fox News and Newsmax,’ he wondered.

As the interview went on, Stelter brought up the revolving door between CNN and Democratic administrations and touted Psaki’s time as a CNN commentator. “You were a CNN commentator in between your time working with the Obama administration and now working for Biden. What did you learn here? What did you take from CNN and how does it apply to your job now,” he gushed.

But it wasn’t too long ago that Stelter would be shrieking about Fox News employees heading to the Trump administration and vice versa. In 2018, he suggested there had “never” been a love story like Trump and Fox News. Later that same year, Stelter accused Fox News of directly running a “criminal presidency” alongside Trump.

But Stelter was now proud CNN had an insider as part of the Biden press office. And Psaki credited “sitting on set” with partially helping her to prepare for the role. “So, I tap into a lot of things. I had the honor and pleasure of doing in the past, including being a CNN commentator, including serving at the State Department and I know that helps me in the briefing every day,” she said.

The most critical Stelter got was when he was groveling for Biden to do more press conferences and asked if the lack of them was a strategy to project normalcy.

This is CNN.

Brian Stelter’s embarrassingly gooey, bootlicking interview with Press Secretary Jen Psaki was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Fidelity and Febreze. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.

The transcript is below, click “expand” to read:

CNN’s Reliable Sources
June 6, 2021
11:29:03 a.m. Eastern

BRIAN STELTER: In this era of media bunkers and alternative realities, the White House press secretary faces some unique challenges. So, let's hear from Jen Psaki to get her perspective nearly five months into the job and what might lie ahead.

[Cuts to video]

Jen, thanks for coming on Reliable Sources.

JEN PSAKI: My pleasure.

STELTER: Busy summer ahead, infrastructure, election reform, what does the press get wrong when covering Biden's agenda, when you watch the news, when you read the news what, do you think we get wrong?

PSAKI: Well, look, I think some of our muscles have atrophied a little bit over the last few years and there isn’t a lot of memory – recent memory – or longer memory on how long it takes to get legislation forward or how messy the process of negotiating and the process of getting legislation across the finish line can be.

So, we know, we understand everybody is always looking for a deadline, a time line, things like that. But at the end of the day, our focus is on getting these bills across the finish line, doing it in a bipartisan way if we can and we certainly recognize that that could be messy along the process.

So, I don't know that is the press getting it wrong. I'll leave you to the critique of that, Brian.

STELTER: Ha!

PSAKI: But I think sometimes we forget how strange the last four years were and when we're returning to a place where democracy is working, where we're talk with Democrats and Republicans, where we’re trying to get bills and legislation passed, it feels foreign but this is how it is supposed to work.

STELTER: There were times in your briefing where you seem so comfortable and then there’s times when you seem frustrated by the lines of questioning. So, I want to know what the job is like versus what you expected it to be like?

PSAKI: Well, I'm a human being. So, even though every day I try to be completely even-keeled. And always, my objective, per the President's direction is to treat people with respect and take questions and provide accurate information. That’s my goal every day.

But, I'm also a human and sometimes when you're answering the question, the same question a tenth time or when a question – more likely, the things that get under my skin are when a question – the premise of a question is based in inaccurate, misleading information; that can be frustrating. I try not to show it too much, try not to let people see me sweat too much. But occasionally, I have a moment of humanity.

STELTER: Well, so those questions that are based on falsehoods, they come from brands like Newsmax which does sometimes get called on in the briefing room. I know a lot of liberals don't want Fox News to get called on. I think they should be. But I know a lot of liberals, don’t want it. So, why do you call on Fox News and Newsmax?

PSAKI: Well, Brian, we know there is a lot of different points of view on this, as you just referenced. But, my point of view and, more importantly, the President's point of view is that the story is not about me or a debate with news outlets. The story is about the plans of the administration and what we're trying to project to the American people.

And when he pledges to govern for all Americans that means talking to a range of outlets, liberal, conservative, people who have different areas of interest. So, that is exactly what I try to do every day in the briefing room.

(…)

11:34:34 a.m. Eastern

STELTER: You know, you used to be on this side of the camera. You were a CNN commentator in between your time working with the Obama administration and now working for Biden. What did you learn here? What did you take from CNN and how does it apply to your job now?

PSAKI: I mean, a lot. When you're a CNN commentator, a commentator for any network, you do spend a lot of time sitting on a set, being prepared to give your input on a breaking news issue or an issue that’s developing in real-time; and that is certainly good preparation for standing in front of the camera at the briefing every day. And there are also a few people who I may have sat on that set with in the past who had strongly different views from mine. And that is sometimes is replicated in the briefing room with some questions or a line of questioning that comes up.

So, I tap into a lot of things. I had the honor and pleasure of doing in the past, including being a CNN commentator, including serving at the State Department and I know that helps me in the briefing every day.

(…)