Appearing on both CNN’s New Day and MSNBC Live With Hallie Jackson on Monday, White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short called out the daily liberal media obsession with speculation over whether or not President Trump would attempt to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
During the 7:00 a.m. ET hour of New Day, anchor Chris Cuomo began an interview with Short by demanding: “You cannot guarantee to the American people that the Mueller probe will be seen to its conclusion, is that true?” Short immediately pointed out press bias on the topic: “Chris, how about we phrase the question a different way? How about we look at it as every day there’s a different vigil, a prayer vigil it seems, on CNN, ‘Is today the day that Mueller’s going to get fired?’”
He added: “We’ve been doing this for months. The President has no intention of firing Robert Mueller.” Short further explained: “The reality is that we’re frustrated, that we feel like we’ve complied in every single possible way with this investigation and it continues to drag on. But there are no plans to fire Mueller.”
Cuomo tried defend himself and his media colleagues: “One, you know that the reason that we have to put meat on the bones of the speculation is because of the reporting that comes out of the large building behind you right now. That’s where it’s coming from, it’s not coming from our own heads.”
In the 10 a.m. ET hour, Short was pressed on the same issue by MSNBC anchor Hallie Jackson: “Robert Mueller, I know you’ve been asked about this a lot over the last 24 hours, if the President is going to fire Rod Rosenstein to eventually get to Robert Mueller....is the President going to fire Rosenstein or not?”
Again the White House aide took the media to task: “Hallie, what I’ve said on other networks and yours as well, since like the networks have a prayer vigil to say, ‘Is today the day that Robert Mueller’s gonna be fired?’” Jackson protested: “I have no prayer vigil, Marc, that is not a fair statement. I’m just asking for a definitive answer, that seems legit.”
He replied: “The reality is that every network every day is saying, ‘Is today going to be the day that Robert Mueller gets fired?’ He has not been fired, the President has no plans to fire him.”
A 2017 Media Research Center study backs up Short’s portrayal of a media obsessed with the Trump-Russia investigation. Obviously not much has changed in 2018.
Here is a transcript of Short’s exchange with Cuomo on the April 23 New Day:
7:20 AM ET
(...)
CHRIS CUOMO: Let’s have one quick agreement on one point. You cannot guarantee to the American people that the Mueller probe will be seen to its conclusion, is that true?
MARC SHORT: Chris, how about we phrase the question a different way? How about we look at it as every day there’s a different vigil, a prayer vigil it seems, on CNN, “Is today the day that Mueller’s going to get fired?” We’ve been doing this for months. The President has no intention of firing Robert Mueller.
The reality is that we’re frustrated, that we feel like we’ve complied in every single possible way with this investigation and it continues to drag on. But there are no plans to fire Mueller. And it’s impossible to say what the future is gonna hold because you never know how far off it’s going to veer, as far as the investigation. But there are no plans to dismiss Robert Mueller.
CUOMO: Okay, I hear you on that. One, you know that the reason that we have to put meat on the bones of the speculation is because of the reporting that comes out of the large building behind you right now. That’s where it’s coming from, it’s not coming from our own heads.
(...)
Here is a transcript of Short’s April 23 exchange with Jackson on MSNBC:
10:10 AM ET
(...)
HALLIE JACKSON: I going to give you an opportunity, Robert Mueller, I know you’ve been asked about this a lot over the last 24 hours, if the President is going to fire Rod Rosenstein to eventually get to Robert Mueller. You – just to call a spade a spade – you used some hedge words. You said, “there are no plans,” “there is no indication,” “there’s no intention.” Can you just be definitive about it, is the President going to fire Rosenstein or not?
MARC SHORT: Hallie, what I’ve said on other networks and yours as well, since like the networks have a prayer vigil to say, “Is today the day that Robert Mueller’s gonna be fired?”
JACKSON: I have no prayer vigil, Marc, that is not a fair statement. I’m just asking for a definitive answer, that seems legit.
SHORT: The reality is that every network every day is saying, “Is today going to be the day that Robert Mueller gets fired?” He has not been fired, the President has no plans to fire him.
(...)
