Just hours after embarrassing himself on national TV, CNN’s Chris Cuomo parroted Democratic talking points in his closing argument Thursday night. Cuomo seemed to agree with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff’s declaration that President Trump’s actions go “beyond anything Nixon did” and slammed “partisan” Republicans for “ignoring the facts” while completely letting the Democrats off the hook for their partisanship.
At first, Cuomo merely observed: “to hear it from the diplomats and the Democrats, the situation amounts to a bribery scheme; all of it to help Trump more than to help this country.” Cuomo proceeded to play a clip of Schiff reciting his “worse than Watergate” talking points and asking “why aren’t Republicans reeling now?” Schiff answered his own question: “the difference between then and now is not the difference between Nixon and Trump. It’s the difference between that Congress and this one.”
Cuomo seemed to agree with Schiff’s analysis: “We have never seen the party of the President to be more partisan in a process like this than we’re seeing right now.” As Cuomo spoke, the chyron at the bottom of the screen read “No Republicans Budge After All the Facts, Evidence Revealed in 30+ Hours of Public Testimony.” Cuomo looked back favorably on Republicans turning on Nixon and a handful of Democrats turning on Clinton before robotically repeating Schiff’s talking points: “What Nixon and Clinton were accused of was certainly nothing on the order of the scheme that's been outlined here.”
It looks like Cuomo might need a little “Reality Check” about the Clinton impeachment. While he correctly pointed out that 31 House Democrats voted in favor of impeachment inquiry against Clinton and five of them ultimately voted to impeach the President, he failed to note that every single Senate Democrat voted to acquit Clinton on both articles of impeachment. The idea that partisanship is a new phenomenon does hold water.
After calling Trump supporters “defiant in the face of fact,” the CNN host accused Congressional Republicans of “operating exclusively as Defense Counsel for the President in a manner that we’ve never seen” and “ignoring the facts for favor” from the President. Cuomo also complained that “almost every question from the…nine Republicans and then their lawyer…were trying to protect the President.”
According to Cuomo, “there was not one question asked to elicit any negative information.” One could just as easily say the opposite about the Democrats; that every single one of their questions was designed specifically to “elicit any negative information.”
The sanctimonious Cuomo also declared that “ignoring facts (and) facilitating conspiracy theories about Ukraine interference...cannot be done in good conscience.” Apparently, Cuomo classifies a Politico article titled “Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump backfire” as a “conspiracy theory.”
As his closing argument came to a conclusion, Cuomo argued that Congressional Republicans were “putting their own personal and political fortunes ahead of their duty,” in other words, “exactly what the President did.” It seems like Cuomo believes that the “duty” of every member of the House of Representatives is to impeach President Trump.
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A transcript of the relevant portion of Thursday’s edition of Cuomo Prime Time is below. Click “expand” to read more.
Cuomo Prime Time
11/21/19
09:50 PM
CHRIS CUOMO: Nine witnesses, 30-plus hours of testimony. We know the President believed Ukraine was corrupt, especially out to get him; and he empowered his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to figure out if it was true, and to help him out also with a look into the Bidens. The question now is what does it mean, what should be the consequence? Well, to hear it from the diplomats and the Democrats, the situation amounts to a bribery scheme; all of it to help Trump more than to help this country. The Intel Chair calls it worse than Watergate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): What we’ve seen here is far more serious than a third-rate burglary of the Democratic headquarters. What we’re talking about here is the withholding of recognition in that White House meeting, the withholding of military aid to an ally at war. That is beyond anything Nixon did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: So, why aren’t Republicans reeling right now?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHIFF: The difference between then and now is not the difference between Nixon and Trump. It’s the difference between that Congress and this one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: We have never seen the party of the President to be more partisan in a process like this than we’re seeing right now. Just remember your…remember this stuff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY): The American people understand that this has been a partisan process from the start.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): We got to stop this, but they’re not going to, and they’re doing it all 11.5 months before the next election.
REP. DEVIN NUNES (R-CA): And like any good show trial, the verdict was decided before the trial ever began.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Now, I often go at both sides of Congress for not doing their job enough, and for naked political plays. But that’s because I know they can do better than this. Trump has brought in a new mentality for his party: “Scorched earth. Kill or be killed. Ride or die.” Now, it’s measurable. And I’ll show you. Look back at Nixon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HOWARD BAKER (R-TN): What did the President know? And when did he know it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Now, you remember who that was? Republican Senator Howard Baker. He had the hardest-hitting question. And here’s another one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LAWRENCE HOGAN (R-MD): Richard Nixon…Nixon has beyond a reasonable doubt committed impeachable offenses. No man, not even the President of the United States, is above the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: That was Representative Larry Hogan. They were both Republicans. And it was eventually a GOP delegation that went to the White House to tell Nixon it was over. Next day, he resigned. Clinton too dealt with party…with people in his party that he was in disfavor with. After reading the Starr report, 31 Democrats, 31, crossed the aisle and voted in favor of setting up an impeachment process. What’s more? Five Democratic House members actually voted to impeach him. And what Nixon and Clinton were accused of was certainly nothing on the order of the scheme that’s been outlined here. Yet, Trump has already clearly won one fight. And it is the fight to have complete control of his party. Supporters are loud and proud, defiant in the face of fact; operating exclusively as defense counsel for the President, in a manner that we have never seen. Dissent? Minimal, muted. Why? Fear of toxic tweets, punishing primary challenges. There can be no question that Republicans are ignoring the facts for favor. They’ve charged after Democrats for so much less than this, and they know it. The Constitution gives them a duty of oversight over the Executive. Yet, almost every question from the ten members of their counsel were designed to shield, you know, nine Republicans and then their lawyer; they were shielding. They were trying to protect the President. There was not one question asked to elicit any negative information. That is not their job. Or maybe, now it is. If they’re putting their own personal and political fortunes ahead of their duty, well, it may seem just as obvious as what the President did to any reasonable onlooker. And here’s the shame. You saw me argue it to Markwayne Mullin. You’ve seen me argue with lots of Republicans. You can own what is obvious here, and still argue that the consequence of impeachment, let alone removal, is too severe. You may not like that argument but it can be argued in good conscience. Ignoring facts, facilitating conspiracy theories about Ukraine interference, that cannot be done in good conscience. But they are right to argue one point. An election is right around the corner. And what happens now will be fresh in the minds of voters, especially undecided ones, all over this country. There will be another quid pro quo in play. Will the voters give you their vote in favor of what you’re offering them right now? All right, that is the argument.
