MSNBC Live guest host Ari Melber welcomed New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich onto his Tuesday show to discuss the latest developments on COVID-19 relief measures. After days of Democrats holding the process up by insisting that unrelated things be included in any bill, Mohyeldin had an opportunity to question one as to why. But instead he but instead echoed misleading concerns related to so-called "slush funds" citing President Trump's taxes and previous history in the hotel business.
Melber, concerned that Trump could use the crisis to benefit himself, asked Heinrich, "Do you view that oversight issue as even more complex and potentially more at risk for corruption given that some of the affected industries like hotels are also entities that are famously run by the president and he hasn't been exactly very transparent about his taxes or his holdings?"
He must have missed that House Democrats, despite the slush fund accusations, have a similar provision in their own bill, not to mention a grab bag of unrelated left-wing policy goals.
Heinrich answered like a good Democrat, "I believe it will be, and that's critical. We have to have a process that really supports the health of the whole economy. We can't have a political process, and we can't have a process where one industry gets pitted against another by the White House. And so I do feel optimistic that we're going to get some place where we have the kind of transparency in this package that gives people confidence and if there are problems, we'll know about it."
Instead of asking why the House has decided to pit Americans against each other by turning the response to the virus into a culture war, Melber shifted the conversation and tried to get Heinrich to condemn Sen. Rand Paul.
Here is a transcript for the March 24 show:
MSNBC
MSNBC Live with Velshi and Ruhle1:14 PM ET
ARI MELBER: Do you view that oversight issue as even more complex and potentially more at risk for corruption given that some of the affected industries like hotels are also entities that are famously run by the president and he hasn't been exactly very transparent about his taxes or his holdings? Is that addressed in any way?
MARTIN HEINRICH: I believe it will be, and that's critical. We have to have a process that really supports the health of the whole economy. We can't have a political process, and we can't have a process where one industry gets pitted against another by the White House. And so I do feel optimistic that we're going to get some place where we have the kind of transparency in this package that gives people confidence and if there are problems, we'll know about it.
