CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King on Friday slimed the President, linking him to a group of extremists who were plotting to kidnap Michigan’s Governor, Gretchen Whitmer. The state’s Democratic Attorney General appeared on the show to blame Donald Trump for providing a “rallying cry for violence.”
Just prior to the segment, reporter Jeff Pegues noted that the President “condemned both left and right wing” extremist groups, adding, “We looked at the court documents. Nothing in the documents says the President's actions or statements influence the action of militia members.”
But this didn’t stop CBS from smearing Trump. Gayle King offered the light touch, asking Michigan AG Dana Nessel: “Do you think the President understands the power of his words when he speaks this way. That people may hear his words very differently than he intends them to be?”
Nessel went much further, disgustingly calling Trump a co-conspirator: “I don't know if he doesn't understand the power of his words, or if he does very well understand the power of his words and he's trying to incite some sort of chaos or anarchy, that frankly these groups thrive upon.”
She sneered:
I think that it is not just a dog whistle. But sometimes even a rallying cry for these types of organizations and these types of individuals who are very bad actors that seek to harm others and damage, frankly, American society.
A prominent Democrat calling the President of the United States, essentially, a terrorist, just weeks before an election prompted NO response or push back from the CBS hosts. Instead, Anthony Mason responded by simply ending the interview: “Attorney General Dana Nessel. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.”
On Wednesday, just after the vice presidential debate, King found profound meaning in a “fly of color” landing on Mike Pence’s head, deeming it symbolic during the exchange on racism.
The propagandistic smear by CBS was sponsored by Volkswagen and Google. Click on the links to let them know what you think about sponsoring hate.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” for more.
CBS This Morning
10/9/20208:03 AM ET
JEFF PEGUES: Governor Whitmer yesterday criticized President Trump saying his words and actions encouraged these groups. President Trump responded and condemned both left and right wing groups. And at this time we looked at the court documents. Nothing in the documents says the President's actions or statements influence the action of militia members.
8:04 AM ET
ANTHONY MASON: for more on the alleged plot we're joined by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Good morning. How close were these suspects to actually carrying out this plot?
DANA NESSEL (Michigan Attorney General): Well they had all the means to do it. They had been in training exercises. We think they had the necessary equipment, artillery, explosives. Things of that nature.
...
MASON: Governor Whitmer accused President Trump of being complicit in fomenting extremism. The President said it was ‘my Justice Department’ that brought charges. What is your take on this?
NESSEL: I will say this. I've had the opportunity to work with federal authorities many times over the years. As a state prosecutor. And we've always enjoyed a good working relationship. So irrespective of who the president is, you know, these federal law enforcement agencies and officers take their jobs very seriously.
But that being the case, I will say it is very unhelpful when you have a group of these individuals, armed to the teeth, who storm our state capitol, hovering over our state senators and threatening them. And then the governor -- sorry, the President calls them very good people who the governors should sit down and negotiate with. And it turns out of course these were the same people that ultimately were charged. So I can't imagine being a person in that position of authority and I will say of the top law enforcement official in this state, I can't imagine seeing people who behave in that manner and then encouraging them and then in fact indicating that our governor should negotiate with them. I think that's fundamentally unhelpful from a law enforcement perspective.
GAYLE KING: Do you think the President understands the power of his words when he speaks this way. That people may hear his words very differently than he intends them to be?
NESSEL: I don't know if he doesn't understand the power of his words, or if he does very well understand the power of his words and he's trying to incite some sort of chaos or anarchy, that frankly these groups thrive upon. But either way, you know, I guess my message would be, to him and to any other elective leaders that sort of traffic in this sort of rhetoric to understand the power of their words. And that when they say these things, people not only listen, but they respond. And so some of the things that I've heard the president say over the course of the last several years, especially of the debate even last week, I would say I think that it is not just a dog whistle. But sometimes even a rallying cry for these types of organizations and these types of individuals who are very bad actors that seek to harm others and damage, frankly, American society.
MASON: Attorney General Dana Nessel. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.
