Good Morning America’s Cecilia Vega on Wednesday seemed to accuse Texas Governor Greg Abbott of wanting to set up some violent, real-life version of The Purge. According to the journalist, he will simply “eliminate the crime of rape altogether.” Vega hyperventilated about the Republican’s “stunning response” to Texas’s law banning abortion after six weeks. The journalist also pressed Democrats from the left, urging them to do more to fight the conservative state.
Vega falsely stated: “This morning, growing outrage over Governor Greg Abbott's stunning response to a question about why Texas's new abortion law lacks an exception for rape or incest. The Republican Governor's answer, his state will eliminate the crime of rape altogether.”
The way Vega phrased it, of course, sounds like the plot of the horror film series The Purge where all crime becomes legal. Here’s what Abbott actually said:
Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets. So, goal number one in the state of Texas is to eliminate rape so that no woman, no person will be a victim of rape.
So, eliminate the rapists by punishing them and sending them to jail. Slightly different than “eliminating the crime of rape.” Vega’s rage was barely contained as she seethed, “Once again the second's largest state is ground zero for these restrictive, Republican-led laws that carry sweeping consequences and even some Democrats now calling on the Biden administration to do more to fight them.”
Rather than provide balance, Vega pushed Democrats to stand up to Texas and somehow stop the Texas law:
The Biden administration is facing growing calls from within its own party to take a more aggressive stand. 22 House Democrats writing a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland saying, “We urge you to take legal action up to and including the criminal prosecution of would-be vigilantes attempting to use the private right of action established by that blatantly unconstitutional law.” The Attorney General has said the Justice Department is urgently exploring options but the White House concedes they don't yet know how to proceed.
NBC’s Today skipped the latest on the abortion law. CBS Mornings hosts played the clip of Abbott on rape and then chided:
TONY DOKOUPIL: So, opponents of the law say at six weeks, many women, most women don't know their pregnant.
GAYLE KING: That is a problem.
CBS's sliming of Texas and Greg Abbott, as well as the Democratic propaganda, was sponsored by Carmax and Ensure. Click on the links to let them know what you think.
Transcripts of the ABC and CBS segments are below. Click “expand” to read more.
Good Morning America
9/8/2021
7:14 AM ETGEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: The latest now on the Texas abortion ban. It includes no exception for rape victims and Governor Greg Abbott is under fire for his comments on that. Cecilia Vega is in Washington with the story. Good morning, Cecilia.
CECILIA VEGA: Hey, George. Good morning to you. Once again the second's largest state is ground zero for these restrictive, Republican-led laws that carry sweeping consequences and even some Democrats now calling on the Biden administration to do more to fight them. This morning, growing outrage over Governor Greg Abbott's stunning response to a question about why Texas' new abortion law lacks an exception for rape or incest. The Republican Governor's answer, his state will eliminate the crime of rape altogether.
GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT: Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets. So goal number one in the state of Texas is to eliminate rape so that no woman, no person will be a victim of rape.
VEGA: The reality Abbott has not required the legislature to take up any rape prevention legislation. The backlash fierce.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: The majority of people who are raped and who are sexually assaulted are assaulted by someone they know and these aren't just predators that are walking around the streets at night. It's not just ignorance but it's ignorance that it's hurting people across this country.
VEGA: And now the Biden administration is facing growing calls from within its own party to take a more aggressive stand. 22 House Democrats writing a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland saying, “We urge you to take legal action up to and including the criminal prosecution of would-be vigilantes attempting to use the private right of action established by that blatantly unconstitutional law.” The Attorney General has said the Justice Department is urgently exploring options but the White House concedes they don't yet know how to proceed.
ABBOTT: Election integrity is now law in the state of Texas.
VEGA: This after Abbott signed into law one of the most restricting voting measures in the country.
ABBOTT: We must have trust and confidence in our elections.
VEGA: Despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, in Texas or anywhere else, the new law now bans drive-through voting and 24-hour polling locations which
have increased turnout among minorities. It also no longer allows election officials to send mail-in ballot applications to voters who haven't formally requested one. Now, in addition to those two things the governor added another special session. The Republican majority there is going to take on more politically charged issues, George, including trans youth sports, redistricting and vaccine mandates.
CBS This Morning
9/8/2021
7:09 AM ET
TONY DOKOUPIL: Staying with politics and going to the state of Texas now where Governor Greg Abbott has signed a sweeping election bill into law. Among other things, the law puts up new hurdles for most drive through and absentee voting. Voting rights activists say it suppresses the vote for people of color and Democrats were so opposed they staged two walkouts and even left the state to protest the bill. Abbott says the new law is about security, although it must be pointed out that the fraud claims that inspired it have been disproven. During a signing ceremony, Abbott was also asked about the state's new law banning abortion after six weeks, even in cases of rape or incest.GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT: It provides at least six weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion. So for one it doesn't provide that. That said, however, this makes something very clear: rape is a crime. And Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets.
DOKOUPIL: So, opponents of the law say at six weeks, many women, most women don't know their pregnant.
GAYLE KING: That is a problem.
