In an attempt on Wednesday to again protect their presidential candidate from himself, ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News spiked an interview Joe Biden did the National Association for Black and Hispanic Journalists. In the controversial video, Biden snapped at black CBS correspondent Errol Barnett (who asked about Biden’s mental fitness) and demanded to know, “Are you a junkie?!”
Biden’s racist comment was played unedited earlier in the day during CBS This Morning. But as the controversy grew, political correspondent Ed O’Keefe continued his weeks-long efforts to protect and promote Biden by suggesting the junkie comment was directed at President Trump during the CBS Evening News. In that effort, O’Keefe edited out their own reporter’s question.
According to O’Keefe, Biden was supposedly “brush[ing] off questions raised by Mr. Trump about his mental fitness, telling black and Latino journalists, including CBS' Errol Barnett, that he's never taken a cognitive.” But back in reality, Biden was snapping at Barnett and O'Keefe refused to point out that Biden had once claimed that he had taken a cognitive test, which meant Biden was lying in some way.
Here’s what O’Keefe didn’t want Evening News viewers to witness and judge Biden on:
BARNETT: President Trump has made his mental ability and agility a campaign topic. And Vice President Biden previously said in June he's always confidently tested on the campaign trail. But I had a more specific question. Here's the exchange: Please clarify specifically, have you taken a cognitive test?
BIDEN: No, I haven't taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test? Come on, man. That's like saying, before you got in this program you take a test where you're taking cocaine or not. What do you think? Huh? Are you a junkie?
As for ABC, senior congressional correspondent Mary Bruce boosted another Biden conspiracy theory. “Hitting back today, Joe Biden said, the only things that can stop the Democratic Party now are ‘Trump defunding the post office and interfering with the election,’” she said.
She then boasted: “Biden today reveals he won't travel to Milwaukee to accept the nomination, saying he wants to do it in his home state of Delaware, calling it the right thing to do.”
Meanwhile on NBC, White House correspondent Geoff Bennett also commended Biden on staying home in his basement instead of attending the Democratic convention in. “Joe Biden will no longer travel to Milwaukee later this month to accept the Democratic nomination for president due to coronavirus concerns. Convention organizers announced today he will now deliver that speech from his home state of Delaware,” he reported.
Leading into Bennett’s report, anchor Lester Holt didn’t hide how one-sided the segment would be:
With the COVID pandemic still raging, it was announced today that Joe Biden will not travel to this month's Democratic convention. His rival, President Trump, meantime is sending more mixed messages about mail-in voting.
This new protection of Biden came after ABC and CBS had ignored his previous answer to a question about his slipping cognitive faculties, and NBC touted it. They also covered up Biden’s lie that 120 million Americans had died from COVID-19.
The networks’ protection for their presidential candidate was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Fisher Investments on ABC, HomeAdviser on CBS, and Allstate on NBC. Their contact information is linked if you want to tell them about what they’re funding. CBS Evening News has also asked that people text anchor Norah O’Donnell at this number: (202) 217-1107.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
August 5, 2020
6:38:52 p.m. Eastern(…)
MARY BRUCE: Hitting back today, Joe Biden said, the only things that can stop the Democratic Party now are “Trump defunding the post office and interfering with the election." Biden today reveals he won't travel to Milwaukee to accept the nomination, saying he wants to do it in his home state of Delaware, calling it the right thing to do.
(…)
CBS Evening News
August 5, 2020
6:41:16 p.m. Eastern(…)
ED O’KEEFE: Biden today also brushed off questions raised by Mr. Trump about his mental fitness, telling black and Latino journalists, including CBS' Errol Barnett, that he's never taken a cognitive.
JOE BIDEN: No, I haven't taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test? Come on, man! That's like saying, you, before you got in this program, did you take a test whether you're taking cocaine or not? What do you think? Huh? Are you a junkie?
(…)
NBC Nightly News
August 5, 2020
7:07:37 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: With the COVID pandemic still raging, it was announced today that Joe Biden will not travel to this month's Democratic convention. His rival, President Trump, meantime is sending more mixed messages about mail-in voting. Geoff Bennett is at the White House.
[Cuts to video]
GEOFF BENNETT: Tonight, Republicans and Democrats scrambling to make final arrangements for their convention upended by the pandemic. Joe Biden will no longer travel to Milwaukee later this month to accept the Democratic nomination for president due to coronavirus concerns. Convention organizers announced today he will now deliver that speech from his home state of Delaware.
(…)
