It didn’t take any time at all for MSNBC to start in with the religious attacks against the Catholic Amy Coney Barrett. Just six minutes after the Supreme Court nominee finished her speech, anchor Nicolle Wallace was darkly warning about the People of Praise organization she is apart of. But even DURING the speech, MSNBC producers felt it important enough to put it in an on-screen graphic.
Next to a biography with things like “Born and raised in New Orleans,” “married with seven children,” the MSNBC graphic alerted, “A Catholic, Barrett is a member of Christian organization People of Praise.” Imagine if the cable network had taken the trouble to tell audiences that someone was Jewish, Muslim or another faith?
Six minutes after the speech ended, Wallace began what will likely be an unending attack on the judge’s faith:
When judge Barrett was... under scrutiny for her last appointment, information came out about her time and her relationship with a Christian organization called People of Praise. Now, this is some of what we know about that group, some of what was scrutinized last time she was evaluated. Members of the group, People of Praise, swear a lifelong oath of loyalty, called a covenant to one another, and are assigned and held accountable to a personal adviser, called a head for men and a handmaid for women.
Talking to former Barack Obama Solicitor General, she teed up the attack on Barrett’s faith:
The group teaches that the husbands are the heads of their wives and should take authority over the family. Because the rush that Donald Trump feels, Neil Katyal, because of the way the process is so condensed, these sorts of things, become part of our coverage even on a day there's a ceremony in the Rose Garden. What do you think the line of questioning will be about that association?
To his credit, Katyal had no taste for a religious attack. So he tried to change the topic: “I think the rush to confirm someone is itself going to be a problem.... With respect to this specific thing about this organization, I don't know that that's really going to come up. And I don’t know that it should. I think what should be the focus of the discussion should be her views.”
On Thursday, ABC, among other outlets, pushed the false notion that Barrett belongs to a Christian group that was the inspiration for the far-left HBO screed The Handmaid’s Tale. After using the typical “devout Catholic” language, Tom Llamas noted "speculation the group may have inspired the novel and Emmy-award winning drama The Handmaid’s Tale."
The religious hate on MSNBC was sponsored by Dunkin Donuts and Chevrolet.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
MSNBC Live Coverage
9/26/2020
5:24NICOLLE WALLACE: While we were on the air, I want to point out some of the atmospherics. Laura Ingraham is in the crowd Kelly Ann Conway was there. Certainly Amy Coney Barrett is celebrated among right-wing conservative activists who have been pining for an appointment like this one today for a very long time. But as that picture was playing out on our screen, all of our phones were exploding with statements from Democratic senators and from former vice President Biden.
5:28 PM ET
WALLACE: When judge Barrett was in the — under scrutiny for her last appointment, information came out about her time and her relationship with a Christian organization called People of Praise. Now, this is some of what we know about that group, some of what was scrutinized last time she was evaluated. Members of the group, People of Praise, swear a lifelong oath of loyalty, called a covenant to one another, and are assigned and held accountable to a personal adviser, called a head for men and a handmaid for women. The group teaches that the husbands are the heads of their wives and should take authority over the family. Because the rush that Donald Trump feels, Neil Katyal, because of the way the process is so condensed, these sorts of things, become part of our coverage even on a day there's a ceremony in the Rose Garden. What do you think the line of questioning will be about that association?
NEIL KATYAL (Fmr. Acting Solicitor General): I think the rush to confirm someone is itself going to be a problem. And, you know, y all accounts, she's a qualified nominee in the sense of being steeped in the law, and all of that, but you normally have a long vet to make sure there isn't anything in anyone's background. This has been rushed so much, that there hasn't been that. With respect to this specific thing about this organization, I don't know that that's really going to come up. And I don’t know that it should. I think what should be the focus of the discussion should be her views.
