Though MSNBC journalists have admitted that much of a new anti-Donald Trump book by Michael Wolff may not be true, it’s still enough to spark a new conversation over whether the President is mentally ill. On Thursday, Katy Tur pivoted to the crazy Trump theme: “Isn't it remarkable that we're talking about the President's mental state and asking honest questions about his mental state? You also have members in Congress meeting with psychiatrists to talk about the 25th Amendment.”
MSNBC analyst Richard Painter fretted about a deranged Trump: “We are all at great risk, and this is a situation that needs to be addressed by the cabinet and Congress as set forth in the 25th Amendment.” He added, “We cannot risk having a president who is mentally unstable and controlling nuclear weapons.”
Tur replied with what can only be called fake news: “It is interesting that the President hasn't had a press conference, an open press conference since last year. Since February of last year.” No. He had an open press conference at the White House on October 16, 2017.
Tur keeps promoting this wrong information. On December 22, she insisted, “He hasn’t had a press conference since what, February?... That is laughable.” The statement may be laughable because it’s false.
Later in the day, reporter Hallie Jackson conceded that the new book may not be that reliable.
NBC News has not confirmed everything in this Wolff book, and there are pieces, center anecdotes and moments on their face appear to be factually not true. You heard Sanders reference one of them. The fact Wolff says the President not know who John Boehner was. Look at Twitter, it's not the case.
For MSNBC, however, it’s reliable enough to push the idea that the President is crazy.
A partial transcript is below:
MSNBC Live
1/4/18
2:41pm ETKATY TUR: Richard, isn't it remarkable that we're talking about the President's mental state and asking honest questions about his mental state? You also have members in Congress meeting with psychiatrists to talk about the 25th Amendment.
RICHARD PAINTER Well, I think it's long overdue that we address this issue. Just a few days ago many of us were terrified to see the president of the United States on Twitter communicating to North Korea that his button — nuclear button — is bigger than theirs. This is not mentally stable behavior. You combine that with nuclear weapons. We are all at great risk, and this is a situation that needs to be addressed by the cabinet and Congress as set forth in the 25th Amendment.
TUR: Yeah.
PAINTER: We cannot risk having a president who is mentally unstable and controlling nuclear weapons.
TUR: It is interesting that the President hasn't had a press conference, an open press conference since last year. Since February of last year. He didn't have one at the end of the year, and in the book Richard Wolffe [sic] — not Richard Wolffe, went to the author went to talk about an interview that the President was supposed to do with 60 Minutes that Hope Hicks decided against because he was repeating himself so much that she needed the questions beforehand, which is why they went with Sean Hannity. Unclear if that is true, but that is what is painted in this book. Julia, special counsel Robert Mueller's team, how much are they going to be looking at this?
JULIA AINSLEY (NBC News Natl. Security and justice reporter): Well, Katie, a lot of what Robert Mueller's team has on Trump and the presidency has already been assembled. A book like this would take a lot of corroboration.
...
3:04
HALLIE JACKSON: Have to reiterate, of course, NBC News has not confirmed everything in this Wolff book, and there are pieces, center anecdotes and moments on their face appear to be factually not true. You heard Sanders reference one of them. The fact Wolff says the President not know who John Boehner was. Look at Twitter, it's not the case.
