In what really could only be described as a completely bonkers conspiracy theory, The Nation magazine editor Katrina vanden Heuvel suggested Sunday that Rex Tillerson was fired from the secretary of state position because his replacement was funded by the Koch brothers and because the administration wanted a war with Iran. If you’re confused, don’t worry, the rest of the liberal panel on ABC’s This Week didn’t seem to be able to follow her convoluted mess either.
The ridiculousness began when a conversation about the firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was derailed by vanden Heuvel, who decided that, for some reason, she need to bring up the newly nominated CIA director and her involvement with torture:
George, the Mueller investigation should continue. Must continue. But there was something else that happened this past week that should happen. Gina Haspel, a practitioner and advocate of torture was nominated to be head of the CIA. And the Senate Intelligence Committee, you had Senator Lankford on of the committee, has been sitting on a 6700-page report that must be declassified. It was commissioned by the committee.
“But the declassification of such information is vital in the public interest especially as we sit here on the 15th anniversary this month of a war we were taken into by lies, by deceit, and the destabilization of the Middle East and our country,” vanden Heuvel continued to ramble before liberal Roland Martin brought it back to McCabe.
After allowing the panel to discuss the topic of the show for a little longer, vanden Heuvel interjected yet again with her conspiracy. “But again, I come back, George. There was more news this past week. A lot of ink and talk spilled about McCabe and Mueller. What about the new secretary of state,” she asked.
“He gets more funds from the Koch industry brothers and he wants to go to war with Iran,” Vanden Heuvel decried as American Conservative Union head Matt Schlapp explained that, as a congressman, Mike Pompeo represented their hometown. The rest of the panel began to talk over her seemingly to drown out her nonsense.
But Vanden Heuvel continued despite the ruckus: “No tears shed for Rex Tillerson. There are tears shed for a hawk and it now seems—If I just could, the constant in this administration seems to be a desire to take this country to war-- to conflict with Iran--” But she was eventually cut off.
Host George Stephanopoulos appeared to appease vanden Heuvel by acknowledging that her point was important, but argued the media struggled to keep up with all the important news flooding out of the administration. “I know, I’m not making your life easy. I’m sorry,” she apologized.
Trying to follow vanden Heuvel’s logic is quite difficult. It might be safe to assume it requires a corkboard, a lot of pictures on it, and some red string connecting everything like a web.
The relevant portions of the transcript are below, click expand to read:
ABC
This Week
March 18, 2018
9:30:05 AM Eastern(…)
KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL: George, the Mueller investigation should continue. Must continue. But there was something else that happened this past week that should happen. Gina Haspel, a practitioner and advocate of torture was nominated to be head of the CIA. And the Senate Intelligence Committee, you had Senator Lankford on of the committee, has been sitting on a 6700-page report that must be declassified.
It was commissioned by the committee. It has never been, except for a summary report, been released and it is vital to show what the committee found in terms of lying about the torture program and also how ineffectual it was. That should lead the Senate to not confirm Gina Haspel. But the declassification of such information is vital in the public interest especially as we sit here on the 15th anniversary this month of a war we were taken into by lies, by deceit, and the destabilization of the Middle East and our country.
(…)
9:32:08 AM Eastern
VANDEN HEUVEL: I mean the way it was done was so humiliated. I was moved by Mark Pocan, who is the head of the professional caucus offered to bring in McCabe into his office to work on election security so he could get vested in his pension.
But again, I come back, George. There was more news this past week. A lot of ink and talk spilled about McCabe and Mueller. What about the new secretary of state. He gets more funds from the Koch industry brothers and he wants to go –
MATT SCHLAPP: Because he represents their hometown.
VANDEN HEUVEL: -- he wants to go to war with –
SCHLAPP: Come on.
[Crosstalk]
VANDEN HEUVEL: He wants to go to war with Iran.
[Crosstalk]
VANDEN HEUVEL: That was humiliating. No tears shed for Rex Tillerson. There are tears shed for a hawk and it now seems—If I just could, the constant in this administration seems to be a desire to take this country to war-- to conflict with Iran which I think must be –
[Crosstalk]
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, one of the issues we face every single week is the amount of news that continues to flow out of there.
VANDEN HEUVEL: I know, I’m not making your life easy. I’m sorry.
