Yesterday, I reported that MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and his Morning Joe guests refused to come out and explicitly state that President Obama lied when he repeatedly insisted that those who like their health insurance can keep it under ObamaCare. Well, on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show Tuesday night, Scarborough finally allowed the L-word to escape his lips.
The conservative radio host played a clip of The Chicago Tribune’s Clarence Page saying Obama “probably” lied about his health care law. He then asked Scarborough, “Are you surprised that people like Clarence Page are admitting the president just out-and-out lied?” [Listen to the audio here.]
Scarborough replied, “What else can you do?” Actually, we learned yesterday that you can find creative ways to call the president a liar without saying it. But this time, Scarborough was bolder. He proclaimed, “It is such a deliberate, it was such a flagrant...” A moment’s hesitation, but he went on. “...flagrant lie when you’re telling people they can keep their insurance policies if they want to.”
Again, Scarborough has been critical of the president ever since NBC’s Lisa Myers reported that he knew millions would lose their health insurance under ObamaCare. But this was his first direct admission that the president lied.
Below is a transcript of the relevant segment:
HUGH HEWITT: This is Clarence Page, your MSNBC colleague with me yesterday, talking in response to the promises the president made.
HEWITT: He knew he was lying?
CLARENCE PAGE: Probably. Probably, but that’s one of those political lies.
HEWITT: Are you surprised that people like Clarence Page are admitting the president just out-and-out lied?
JOE SCARBOROUGH: What else can you do? You know, I asked everybody this morning what – you know, I asked a lot of White House reporters this morning, what’s the White House’s spin? I asked Chuck Todd, what’s the White House’s spin? He said they don’t have one. It is such a deliberate, it was such a flagrant – flagrant lie when you’re telling people they can keep their insurance policies if they want to.
