If President Trump had said the things Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been saying over the past week without evidence, the liberal media would be questioning his sanity and fitness for office. But since she currently leads their party, she’s above reproach. Sunday’s This Week was no exception as ABC chief anchor and resident Clinton lackey, George Stephanopoulos refused to critically press the Speaker on her claim that the Republican Party had killed George Floyd, and that the President was a Russian agent.
As NewsBusters reported last week, the broadcast networks (including ABC) covered up the fact that Pelosi insanely accused the GOP of “trying to get away with murder, actually, the murder of George Floyd” during an interview with CBS News Radio (at the 2:30 mark) last Tuesday.
In their almost 11-minute-long interview, Stephanopoulos refused to address that false and defamatory conspiracy theory. He instead chose to lob repeated softballs her way (click “expand”):
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's start out with this COVID crisis. It’s pretty clear we are failing in this country to stop the spread. How do we fix it?
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Is it time to mandate the wearing of masks across the country?
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Of course, we're also dealing with the economic fallout right now. You have said another economic package is necessary. But yet, you have not engaged in direct negotiations with the treasury secretary, why not?
After Stephanopoulos brought up a New York Times report, which claimed President Trump was briefed on and did nothing about intelligence that Russia offered bounties to the Taliban to kill American troops, Pelosi dredged up the long-debunked allegation that the President was a Russian agent, bringing it up twice:
PELOSI: Just as I have said to the President with him, all roads lead to Putin. He will not—he will not – I don't know what the Russians have on the President politically, personally, financially, or whatever it is.
(…)
PELOSI: Because the President wants to ignore any allegation against Russia. As I've said to him in that meeting when I'm pointing to him in a blue suit, “with you Mr. President, all roads lead to Putin.”
At one point, Stephanopoulos did turn to have Pelosi address that accusation but he didn’t demand that she present the evidence of her claim, as he would have done with Trump. He instead asked for her opinion on the matter. “You’ve raised that several times now. You said you don’t know what the Russians have on President Trump. But do you believe they have something on him?”
Of course, Stephanopoulos failed to mention that the Russia investigation had disproved that particular Democratic and media smear of the President.
Predictably, Pelosi offered no evidence to back up her accusation. “How else would you explain his refusal to even -- to ignore again and again the intelligence that puts right at the Russian doorstep the involvement into our elections for example? Now he's saying this is fake news. Why would he say that,” she declared.
Satisfied with Pelosi’s absence of evidence, Stephanopoulos moved on with his final question. “What's the greatest threat to Joe Biden's chance right now?”
Really? That’s what you get when you try to pass off a Democratic White House operative as a journalist.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s This Week
June 28, 2020
9:03:09 a.m. EasternGEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's start out with this COVID crisis. It’s pretty clear we are failing in this country to stop the spread. How do we fix it?
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Is it time to mandate the wearing of masks across the country?
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Of course, we're also dealing with the economic fallout right now. You have said another economic package is necessary. But yet, you have not engaged in direct negotiations with the treasury secretary, why not?
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to turn now to that rather startling report in The New York Times that appeared yesterday. We’re going to show it on the screen right now, that Russia secretly offered Afghan militants bounties to kill U.S. troops. It reports that, “American intelligence officials have concluded that Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan, including targeting American troops. The intelligence finding was briefed to President Trump, and the White House’s National Security Council discussed the problem at an interagency meeting in late March. Officials developed a menu of potential options, along with an escalating series of sanctions and other possible responses, but the White House has yet to authorize any step.”
Now, the director of national intelligence put out a statement late last night denying that the President had been briefed. The President has said that as well. But not denying the intelligence. You’re a member of that so-called gang of eight that gets intelligence, were you aware of those reports?
SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): No, and we have called for report to the Congress on this. This is as bad as it gets. And yet, the President will not confront the Russians on this score. Denies being briefed. Whether he is or not, his administration knows and our allies, some of our allies who work with us in Afghanistan have been briefed and accept this report.
Just as I have said to the President with him, all roads lead to Putin. He will not—he will not – I don't know what the Russians have on the President politically, personally, financially, or whatever it is.
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, that's what I want to ask you about. Do you believe that the President hasn’t been briefed on this? Secondly, how would you explain The New York Times is saying it was actually in the President's daily brief, perhaps he didn't read it, how would you explain if the President weren't briefed on this?
PELOSI: Because the President wants to ignore any allegation against Russia. As I've said to him in that meeting when I'm pointing to him in a blue suit, “with you Mr. President, all roads lead to Putin.”
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: You’ve raised that several times now. You said you don’t know what the Russians have on President Trump. But do you believe they have something on him?
PELOSI: How else would you explain his refusal to even -- to ignore again and again the intelligence that puts right at the Russian doorstep the involvement into our elections for example? Now he's saying this is fake news. Why would he say that? Why wouldn't he say, let's look into it and sees what this, giving the money to Taliban, a bounty on the lives of our troops in Afghanistan. How do you answer to the families -- family members who are serving there? And he's engaged in peace negotiations with the Taliban and he's kissing up to Putin in every way, saying they should be in the G-7, even though annexed Crimea and caused death and destruction in Ukraine, so totally irresponsible. Something is wrong with this picture.
But putting that aside for the moment, let's dwell on this. We hear also that the administration is considering diplomatic response to this or sanctions to this, well, they either know about it or they don't know about it. The American people need to know what that is.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Before we go, I do want to ask you about the 2020 presidential campaign, you've seen these polls this week showing Vice President Biden opening up a lead – former Vice President Biden opening a lead over President Trump. President Obama has warned Democrats not to get complacent. What's the greatest threat to Joe Biden's chance right now?
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Madam Speaker, thank you for your time this morning.
