The “Big Three” networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) found yet another topic to distract themselves from talking about issues damaging to Democrats Wednesday evening. “Trump's message today, overshadowed by the man in the front row,” explained ABC’s Tom Llamas on World News Tonight, “Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, fresh off his explosive interview with Megyn Kelly.” According to the nets the argument was more important than corruption, leaked e-mails, or videos showing admission to federal crimes.
Llamas’ segment last over three minutes with most of it sounding like a blow-for-blow recap of a boxing match. “Megyn Kelly, who pressed him on the ten women accusing Donald Trump of sexual misconduct… Gingrich then unloading… The former house speaker trying to force Kelly to take on Bill Clinton… Trump welcoming Gingrich like a conquering hero,” Llamas said. He even hyped a threatening tweet from a Trump aide, “‘Megyn Kelly made a total fool out of herself tonight, attacking Donald Trump. Watch what happens to her after this election is over.’”
CBS Evening News only discussed it briefly, while NBC Nightly News on the other hand dedicated an entire report to the argument and declared it a symptom of the Republican Party turning itself off to women voters. “The GOP nominee clearly pleased with what he heard from one of his top surrogates, even if some Republican women are not,” stated NBC’s Hallie Jackson.
The Kelly/Gingrich argument gave the liberal networks just the smokescreen they need to avoid actually reporting damaging news about Hillary Clinton and other Democrats.
All three of the networks still have yet to mention any of the videos released by Project Veritas even though there has been a new video released every day this week. In one video, Democratic operative Bob Creamer is heard talking about having communication with the Hillary Clinton campaign, a violation of federal law. They instead continued to hype her leads in key battleground states and confidence in the race.
They continued to keep the perjury sentencing of a highly corrupt Democratic Attorney General from Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, out of their broadcasts. The AG in question is Kathleen Kane a former “raising star” in the party and former staffer to Hillary in 2008.
ABC, in particular, extended its blackout of the recently released WikiLeaks e-mail that suggested that President Barack Obama had lied to the public when he claimed he didn’t know about Clinton’s private e-mail server. A study by the Media Research Center’s Mike Ciandella discovered that all of the networks prefer to keep such e-mail leaks out of sight and out of mind.
It is clear that the liberal networks will use any excuse to not cover controversies that have a chance to sink Democrats. They even admit to it and hide behind the claim that Donald Trump’s and Republican controversies are many times worse. They believe that because they’re biased against them to begin with.
Transcripts below:
ABC
World News Tonight
October 26, 2016
6:34:57 PM Eastern [3 Minutes 14 Seconds]DAVID MUIR: And back here at home now, and just 13 days now left until the election, and America is counting. Donald Trump taking his campaign to his new hotel today. Cutting the ribbon along with his family there in Washington, D.C. The second hotel he's visited in two days. He said, there's a good reason why he visited his new hotel during these valuable last few days, and ABC's Tom Llamas is on the campaign trail.
[Cuts to video]
TOM LLAMAS: For the second day in a row, Donald Trump's campaign trail led right to one of his hotels. This is turning into the running of the reporters. We're now heading over to the ribbon cutting for something that's billed as not a campaign event. This is probably the most this is the most reporters probably ever for a hotel opening.
DONALD TRUMP: Many, many years of luck and happiness and everything else.
LLAMAS: Trump opening his hotel in Washington, insisting this isn't self-promotion, it's proof of what he can accomplish.
TRUMP: My theme today is five words. Under budget and ahead of schedule. That's what we did.
LLAMAS: Actually, that's six words. But Trump's message today, overshadowed by the man in the front row. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, fresh off his explosive interview with MEGYN KELLY: We don't get to say the ten women are lying. We have to cover that story, sir.
LLAMAS: Gingrich then unloading.
NEWT GINGRICH: You want to go back through the tapes of your show recently? You are fascinated with sex and you don't care about public policy.
KELLY: Me? Really?
GINGRICH: That's what I get out of watching you tonight.
KELLY: You know what, Mr. Speaker? I'm not fascinated by sex, but I am fascinated by the protection of women. And understanding what we're getting in the oval office.
LLAMAS: The former house speaker trying to force Kelly to take on Bill Clinton.
GINGRICH: I want to hear your words, Bill Clinton sexual predator. I dare you. Say Bill Clinton sexual predator.
KELLY: Mr. Speaker, we've covered -- excuse me, sir.
GINGRICH: Disbarred by the Arkansas bar –
KELLY: Excuse me.
LLAMAS: Kelly getting the last word. Almost.
KELLY: We're going to have to leave it at that, and you can take your anger issues and spend some time working on them, Mr. Speaker. Thanks for being here.
GINGRICH: And you, too.
LLAMAS: Then, minutes later, what some are calling a threat from a top Trump aide, Dan Scavino tweeting, "Megyn Kelly made a total fool out of herself tonight, attacking Donald Trump. Watch what happens to her after this election is over." And today at the hotel, Trump welcoming Gingrich like a conquering hero.
TRUMP: By the way, congratulations, Newt, on last night. That was an amazing interview. That was an amazing interview. We don't play games, Newt, right? We don't play games.
[Cuts back to live]
MUIR: And Tom llamas with us live tonight from Washington. Two hotels in two days. Trump defending the move. He has had a rigorous schedule in the battlegrounds, we should say, but as he stands in front of that new hotel today, there are the headlines about concerns over whether this campaign could be hurting the brand.
LLAMAS: David, the Trump name may come down from three buildings in Manhattan after residents complained. That according to The New York Times, just today, Ivanka Trump announcing the new line of hotels geared for younger guests is not going to be called Trump, but rather, Scion. The Trump family maintains their brand is stronger than ever. David?
MUIR: Tom, thank you.
NBC
Nightly News
October 26, 2016
7:04:31 PM Eastern [1 Minute 46 Seconds]HALLIE JACKSON: I'm Halle Jackson in Washington where an unexpected shout-out stood out during Donald Trump's hotel promo.
DONALD TRUMP: Congratulations, Newt on last night. That was an amazing interview.
JACKSON: Trump talking about the fiery back and forth between former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.
MEGYN KELLY: That is worth covering.
NEWT GINGRICH: You want to go back though the tapes of your show recently? You are fascinated with sex and you don't care about public policy.
KELLY: Me? Really?
GINGRICH: That's what I get out of watching you tonight.
KELLY: You know what, Mr. Speaker, I'm not fascinated by sex. But I am fascinated by the protection of women.
TRUMP: It was an amazing -- We don't play games, Newt, right? We don't play games.
JACKSON: The GOP nominee clearly pleased with what he heard from one of his top surrogates, even if some Republican women are not.
NICOLLE WALLACE: They're losing their minds. They're not acting like a campaign that's going to close strong.
JACKSON: Mitt Romney's former top aide tweeting, “Every time you talk about it like a Neanderthal, you push more and more women away from the GOP, so stop it.”
What do you say to the Republican women who saw that interview last night and are upset about it, frankly, what's your message to them?
GINGRICH: I haven't seen that on Twitter. I haven’t seen that anywhere.
ELISE JORDAN: He's just another bomb wiping out Republican women voters. Not just for this cycle, but I think in the long-term.
JACKSON: Polling shows Trump's struggled with women voters his whole campaign. Demographic Mitt Romney lost by 11 points in 2012. Trump now trails Hillary Clinton by almost double that, 20 points.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: We step into the ballot box and we think about the big things that matter to us, I think more women are going to side with Donald Trump than Hillary Clinton.
JACKSON: Still with Trump needing help, winning women, new questions on whether those tasked with helping him really are. Halle Jackson, NBC news, Washington.
