Curtis Houck -- our devoted watcher of the White House coronavirus briefings -- flagged this one. MSNBC ducked out of the Friday night briefing for a typical DNC-style softball interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Republicans get the third degree, Democrats get the "What would you like to say about that?"
Melber started by asking Pelosi to "walk us through" what's going on with the small-business loan program that's running out of funds. Then Melber cued up the Speaker to lie that the president called the coronavirus a "hoax."
He took exception to conservative protesters, and Pelosi denounced the entire thing as a "distraction."
ARI MELBER: There's been a lot of debate over keeping the country closed for the most part according to medical expertise. The president, though, I want to show some of the protests we've seen around the country. You're familiar. I think some of our viewers have seen this. Some of it quite heated when we look at the photography here and some of the video, folks protesting in Michigan, gathering together, in some of this footage people will see the very protesters themselves obviously not following the distancing guidelines.
And then the president making headlines tonight Madam Speaker -- New York Times reporting 'Trump Foments Anti-Restriction Protests, Alarming Governors.' He was targeting governors specifilally in Democratic states -- our viewers are seeing again some of that. What is your response to what the president is doing there?
NANCY PELOSI: I won't take the bait. This is another example of the distraction that they want to make from the fact that the president has said that this pandemic was a hoax and that's not true. That the president said it will magically disappear. That's not true. Again and again, he was in denial and delay in dealing with this. This is just a distraction. Don't fall for that. Don't take the bait.
Melber also through this slow pitch about dramatically growing unemployment: "Speaker, do you view this as simply a product of this tough pandemic or do you view this as a Trump recession?" She said it was a "combination."
Then he went for the jugular, asking Pelosi: Did Trump's handling of the coronavirus cost lives? She said yes.
MELBER: You just laid out your view of his failures coming from the Trump White House on down. Do you think those failures cost lives?
PELOSI: Yes, I do. I think delay and denial were deadly. I think they cost lives....Let's not continue on a path of misrepresentation and falsehoods. Let's get right to the science, the evidence, the data, the facts.
Melber also asked if people should simply tune out the White House briefing. She said people should do what they want.
There was one unexpected question at the end about the sex-assault allegation against Biden. "Are you satisfied with his answer?" Pelosi said "Yes, I am. I'm very much involved in this issue. I always want to give the opportunity that women deserve to be heard. I am satisfied with his answer, yes."
