On Wednesday, Alabama Republicans and an attorney for senatorial candidate Roy Moore held a press conference to stand by their candidate and tried to discredit the sexual misconduct allegations Moore was facing. The only accusation of sexual impropriety they chose to focus on was that of Beverly Young Nelson and her infamous lawyer, Gloria Allred. The fact that the Allred’s reputation was that of a dubious attention seeker spooked the panel on MSNBC’s MTP Daily because it could taint other credible accusations, and not just those against Moore.
“Look, they want to focus on Gloria Allred’s accuser. Which, politically I understand. Gloria Allred has got a reputation for basically: ‘Oh, there's cameras over there? Let me see if I can find a client and go do that,’” slammed host Chuck Todd. “I'll tell you, if she's faked this or this is a fraud accusation, you're really doing a disservice to the four women who clearly weren't comfortable speaking out and wanted to…”
Panelist Yamiche Alcindor, of The New York Times, cited her own work in talking about how a journalist needed “button down” and “bullet-proof” reports of sexual misconduct. “Which is why, if Gloria Allred has somebody that's fraudulent it completely taints what these other people have said, it completely gives a talking point to other people to say this is a war on the media,” she added.
Todd lamented how Allred gave the Moore camp a line of attack and how that ultimately could chill other victims (in other cases) from speaking out. “It’s also feeding into the same narrative that many women say has taken place for years. This is what happens. Victims get attacked, and that's why they don't speak out,” he said to Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute.
Pletka followed up Todd by mercilessly unloading on Allred by ripping her credibly and by writing off her entire career as a lawyer:
But does this surprise anybody that Gloria Allred would be involved in something that would be unscrupulous, that would be camera hungry, that would not have fact-checked, and that could undermine the entire question? It doesn't surprise me in the least. Having watched her career.
The panel was left in an awkward silence.
“No. No. I don't disagree with any of that,” stated Maria Teresa Kumar, President of Voto Latino. She was displeased with how “our politics and conversations are becoming more Machiavellian,” and how that gave the Moore campaign room to use Allred to spread doubt onto the other claims against him. “What they just did is created doubt on one case. That taints everything,” she declared.
Transcript below:
MSNBC
MTP Daily
November 15, 2017
5:16:05 PM Eastern(…)
CHUCK TODD: I want to go back to – Look, they want to focus on Gloria Allred’s accuser. Which, politically I understand. Gloria Allred has got a reputation for basically: “Oh, there's cameras over there? Let me see if I can find a client and go do that.” I'll tell you, if she's faked this or this is a fraud accusation, you're really doing a disservice to the four women who clearly weren't comfortable speaking out and wanted to -- I mean, I certainly -- you know, you have harmed these four women if they do that, Yamiche.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: I've also reported on sexual harassment on capitol hill. The people are very -- as a reporter, you're very careful-- that The Washington Post, they are very careful the way they put this story together. Might have had way more women who knows. I know with my story published yesterday, we had more women that we’ve could have put in that story but you really have to button down and bullet-proof your story. Which is why, if Gloria Allred has somebody that's fraudulent it completely taints what these other people have said, it completely gives a talking point to other people to say this is a war on the media. And means it's helping Roy Moore because he can make that argument.
TODD: Sadly, Dani, it’s also feeding into the same narrative that many women say has taken place for years. This is what happens. Victims get attacked, and that's why they don't speak out.
DANIELLE PLETKA: And make no mistake that is exactly what they doing. They were attacking the victim, in this one instance. The 14-year-old –
TODD: Which is important. That they only have one they even feel comfortable pushing back on.
PLETKA: But does this surprise anybody that Gloria Allred would be involved in something that would be unscrupulous, that would be camera hungry, that would not have fact checked, and that could undermine the entire question? It doesn't surprise me in the least. Having watched her career.
[Awkward silence]
TODD: No. I mean it’s—
MARIA TERESA KUMAR: No. No. I don't disagree with any of that, but at the same time, our politics and conversations are becoming more Machiavellian. I’m sorry, but you’re like: “Is she a plant?” She could easily be a plant and that's a problem. What they just did is created doubt on one case. That taints everything.
(…)
