Never enough. Some Republicans have been calling out Donald Trump for his unsubstantiated claims and efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia. Yet, that’s not enough for the partisan hacks at CBS This Morning. They want Georgia Lieutenant Governor Jeff Duncan to beg forgiveness for ever supporting the President in the first place. Co-host Tony Dokoupil asked the same question four times.
It culminated in Dokoupil demanding an apology for Trump being president at all: “This is a person you voted for twice, President Trump. He is stirring this up. Do you regret that vote and what do you want other Republicans to do now to contain what is a deeply problematic situation for our society?”
Dokoupil began by snidely questioning: “Over the weekend, you said you were concerned by the President's continued attacks, baseless attacks, on the election and discussed it by the security threats that followed the attacks. I am curious, what was your breaking point?”
Not getting the proper level of groveling, the host tried again: “Are you really surprised by this behavior from the President, given that he has tasked out on the election before votes were cast, all the way back to 2016 he was calling it rigged. Can you say this is out of character?”
Dokoupil then portrayed the President as a threat to the safety of all decent Americans:
The President attacks dozens of people a year on Twitter and in many cases mayors, governors, senators, members of Congress, everyday citizens, members of news media. They then need security because the President has stirred up his supporters, sicced them on them. That's the basis. Republicans did not speak up over four years of this happening. Now it is happening to Republicans. Do you regret, now that you have seen what it feels like, not speaking up sooner?
The idea that someone could support the conservative policies and accomplishments of Trump and not embrace everything he does somehow eludes the journalists at CBS.
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A transcript of the questions can be found below. Click “expand” to read more.
CBS This Morning
12/7/20208:04 AM ET
ANTHONY MASON: The two Senate runoff elections in Georgia are heating up. Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler called Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock a radical liberal in the debate last night. He said she lied on Jesus by misquoting from his sermons. From the second debate, Jon Ossoff was alone on stage after the Republican Senator David Perdue refused to take part. President Trump led a rally for Loeffler and Perdue Saturday and repeated his false claim that the presidential election was rigged. Before the rally, he urged the Georgia’s Republican governor Brian Kemp to convene special legislative session to overturn the election. Kemp and Lieutenant Governor Jeff Duncan issued a joint statement after some other Georgia Republicans called for them to name new electors. Kemp and Duncan said that would be illegal.TONY DOKOUPIL: And Lieutenant Governor Jeff Duncan joins us. Lieutenant Governor, good morning to you. Over the weekend you said you were concerned by the President's continued attacks, baseless attacks, on the election and discussed it by the security threats that followed the attacks. I am curious, what was your breaking point?
...
DOKOUPIL: Lieutenant Governor, can you say when you talk about these mountains of misinformation, I appreciate your focus on following the law, your colleague, Secretary of State Raffensperger has been doing the same. Are you really surprised by this behavior from the President, given that he has tasked out on the election before votes were cast, all the way back to 2016 he was calling it rigged. Can you say this is out of character?
...
DOKOUPIL: Respectfully, there are bigger things at stake than one election cycle. We’re talking about attacks on democracy itself and we’re talking about threats to the safety of people alive and well today. When you think about the President's behavior, here and now, it is unfortunate that the spotlight is on you and your colleagues in the state of Georgia. Do you regret not speaking up when the President was attacking others in this way, endangering their safety? Do you wish you had done something sooner so you and your colleagues were not in this situation now?
JEFF DUNCAN: Well, not certain of the basis of your question. I’ve been a very —
DOKOUPIL: I'll tell you the basis. I’ll tell you the basis, Mr. Lieutenant Governor. The President attacks dozens of people a year on Twitter and in many cases mayors, governors, senators, members of Congress, everyday citizens, members of news media. They then need security because the President has stirred up his supporters, sicced them on them. That's the basis. Republicans did not speak up over four years of this happening. Now it is happening to Republicans. Do you regret, now that you have seen what it feels like, not speaking up sooner. That's the basis.
...DOKOUPIL: Do you regret, sorry, Gayle, if you say it is not American, this is a person you voted for twice, President Trump. He is stirring this up. Do you regret that vote and what do you want other Republicans to do now to contain what is a deeply problematic situation for our society?
...
GAYLE KING: Mr. Lieutenant Governor, I think you're right when you say it is not American, we are better than this. I think your three boys can be proud you're trying to put out the correct information. I watched the two hour rally, my mouth was hanging open. The thing I want you to address again, it has been asked and answered. He play this tape, Jeff, where you see somebody bringing out a suitcase he says are votes, they're doing something tricky with votes. Could you please explain, you said it can be cleared up in ten seconds. Could you please explain again what people are looking at, explain why there's nothing nefarious happening here?
DUNCAN: I think the Secretary of State office did an incredible job explaining this.
KING: They did. But he keep playing the tape. Keeps playing the tape.
DUNCAN: I can't change somebody's mind.
KING: I know.
DUNCAN: I can certainly continue to separate fact from fiction. That's the process we are in, separating fact from fiction and moving on. It is certainly not helpful as I said earlier in the interview. There's no scenario this makes sense to help Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue get elected. It is unfortunate.
KING: And nobody was pulling out ballots underneath the table and counting them is the point I was trying to make here.
DUNCAN: Yeah. Absolutely. It’s unfortunate that folks —
DOKOUPIL: Simple yes or no, because we do have to go. Do you think it is time for the 200 members of Congress yet to recognize the outcome of the election to step up and say it is over?
DUNCAN: Joe Biden is going to be sworn in as 46th president on January 20th and it will still be America, we still have the Constitution, we still have vigorous debate on policy in ongoing years.
DOKOUPIL: Lieutenant Governor Duncan, thank you very much.
