Possibly still raging from when her heated outburst during a coronavirus press briefing was shot down by President Trump last week, CBS White House correspondent Paula Reid flashed her hatred for the President during Thursday’s CBS Evening News. She kicked off the video portion of her report by boasting about how radical leftist protesters had laid out “empty body bags” outside the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C.
The direction Reid took with her report was obvious from the beginning. Bitterness radiated as she declared: “[T]he Trump administration continues to send out mixed messages, new CBS News polling shows more Americans are looking to their state governors for guidance on what to do as top White House officials can't even agree on basic facts!”
As her report began to play, Reid immediately boasted about the ghoulish display. “Empty body bags dumped outside the Trump Hotel this evening, a morbid protest of the President's response to the coronavirus. A new CBS News poll reveals Mr. Trump's decision making is being called into question,” she touted.
No other broadcast evening newscast reported on the body bags.
One of her pieces of evidence were alleged contradictions between Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci on the country’s capability to conduct coronavirus testing. “Mr. Trump regularly claims the country has the testing capacity needed to reopen, but just today, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the opposite,” she said. But the soundbite of Fauci used as proof was edited:
I am not overly confident right now at all. [Transition] We are not in a situation where we say we're exactly where we want to be with regard to testing.
None of the other evening broadcast newscasts tried to make the same point Reid was or shared the same soundbite.
Her animosity for the President didn’t stop there. Reid also claimed, without evidence, that “officials who don't toe the line risk being pushed out.” She then peddled the already debunked allegation from Dr. Rick Bright as if they were fact:
Top federal vaccine researcher Rick Bright was dismissed on Monday after arguing for a thorough vetting of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug touted by the President. Sources say Bright was particularly concerned about the quality of chloroquine being shipped in from India and Pakistan that weren't approved by the FDA.
Other sources who spoke with Politico provided evidence that Bright had praised hydroxychloroquine in internal HSS emails, and evidence he had been on the chopping block for his “incompetence and insubordination” since last year.
Those facts were disregarded by Reid because “Democratic lawmakers are demanding an investigation into whether Bright was retaliated against for raising concerns about hydroxychloroquine.”
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
April 23, 2020
6:38:41 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: Now to here in Washington, and the growing controversy over the ousted leader of an important agency involved in the pandemic response. Rick Bright is the vaccine research expert whose attorney said today that the administration is lying about his removal, and he plans to file a whistleblower report. This as administration scientists are contradicting President Trump. CBS' Paula Reid is at the White House tonight. Paula.
PAULA REID: Norah, as the Trump administration continues to send out mixed messages, new CBS News polling shows more Americans are looking to their state governors for guidance on what to do as top White House officials can't even agree on basic facts!
[Cuts to video]
Empty body bags dumped outside the Trump Hotel this evening, a morbid protest of the President's response to the coronavirus. A new CBS News poll reveals Mr. Trump's decision making is being called into question. Over 80 percent of Americans think governors and local officials should choose when to reopen for business, not the President. Part of the reason is the contradictory messaging from the President and his top health officials.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: But we have tremendous testing, tremendous testing capability.
REID: Mr. Trump regularly claims the country has the testing capacity needed to reopen, but just today, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the opposite.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI: I am not overly confident right now at all. [Transition] We are not in a situation where we say we're exactly where we want to be with regard to testing.
REID: Health experts agree that a second wave of the virus is likely to return in the fall, but last night, the President said it would not.
TRUMP: It's not going to come back.
REID: Dr. Fauci corrected him.
FAUCI: We will have coronavirus in the fall.
REID: And officials who don't toe the line risk being pushed out. Top federal vaccine researcher Rick Bright was dismissed on Monday after arguing for a thorough vetting of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug touted by the President. Sources say Bright was particularly concerned about the quality of chloroquine being shipped in from India and Pakistan that weren't approved by the FDA.
TRUMP: I never heard of him. If I guy says he was pushed out of a job, maybe he was, maybe he wasn't.
[Cuts back to live]
REID: Democratic lawmakers are demanding an investigation into whether Bright was retaliated against for raising concerns about hydroxychloroquine. But the Trump administration said Bright will still play a role in the federal response to this outbreak. Norah.
O’DONNELL: All right, Paula, thank you.
