MSNBC's reporting on Sunday deserves at least a half kudos for acknowledging reality. At the same time, it demonstrated why people view the network as full of dishonest Democratic hacks.
Host Ali Velshi repeatedly pressed Congresswoman Maxine Waters on her past agitating for people to harass Trump administration officials in the “department store, at a gasoline station.” Yet, Velshi also flatly declared it’s “not actually the case” to suggest the Democrat was invoking violence.
Velshi lectured, “I want to talk to [Waters] about what she just said, Donald Trump's defense attorneys are actually going to invoke her and others and things that they have said to say that they too were invoking rioting or violence. That's not actually the case.”
It’s not the case? Velshi played the video of Waters in 2018 screaming at a crowd:
Let's make sure we show up wherever we have to show up and if you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd! And you push back on them! And you tell them that they're not welcome anymore anywhere!
This is semantics. In the same way it can be argued that Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to riot, Waters suggested that liberals surround people at a gas station and “create a crowd.” What did she think would happen?
Still, Velshi demanded of the far-left Democrat: “That's the stuff that Donald Trump's attorneys say proves that you and others are doing the same thing Donald Trump was doing on January 6th and in the days before that. What's the difference?”
Waters responded with a lame defense, suggesting, “They're going to try it but nothing any Democrat that I know of have ever said or acted in the way the president of the United States has acted.”
Velshi pushed back, noting, “So let me just ask you because this is what they're going to say. Can you say that you have not glorified or encouraged violence against Republicans?”
So, kudos to MSNBC for at least playing the clip of Waters and for pressing the Democrat, even if Velshi still provided cover.
The political spin by MSNBC was sponsored by Lexus. Click on the link to let them know what you think.
A transcript of the questions can be found below. Click “expand” to read more.
Velshi
2/7/2021
9:15 AM ETALI VELSHI: Joining me now is the chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California. Congresswoman, great to see you again. Thank you for being with us. Let's talk a little bit about impeachment. This is a matter dear to your heart. You might have been one of the first people calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump even before the last impeachment. What do you think is going to happen this week?’
...
[MSNBC loses audio with Waters.]
VELSHI: I've lost the audio of Maxine Waters. I'm going to ask my director — we have lost the audio, unfortunately. We're going to try and get Maxine waters back. I want to talk to her about what she just said, Donald Trump's defense attorneys are actually going to invoke her and others and things that they have said to say that they too were invoking rioting or violence. That's not actually the case. And I do want to ask my director if he's got that. If he can play that for my audience so we can hear what it is that the defense — Donald Trump's defense — is going to use as it relates to Maxine Waters.
MAXINE WATERS [From June 23, 2018]: Let's make sure we show up wherever we have to show up and if you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them that they're not welcome anymore anywhere! We've got to get the children connected to their parents, the children are suffering.
VELSHI: I think we've got Maxine Waters back. Congresswoman. Sorry about that. I was able to play that clip that you were referring to from June 23rd, 2018, where you're asking people to confront Republicans at department stores, gas stations and restaurants and tell them they're not welcome. That's the stuff that Donald Trump's attorneys say proves that you and others are doing the same thing Donald Trump was doing on January 6th and in the days before that. What's the difference?
WATERS: They're going to try it but nothing any Democrat that I know of have ever said or acted in the way the president of the United States has acted.
...
VELSHI: So let me just ask you because this is what they're going to say. Can you say that you have not glorified or encouraged violence against Republicans?
WATERS: Absolutely, I can say it. As a matter of fact, if you look at the words that I used, the strongest thing I was tell them they're not welcome. Talk to them. Tell them they're not welcome. I didn't say go and fight. I didn't say anybody was going to have any violence. And so they can't make that statement.
VELSHI: Maxine Waters, thank you for being with us as always.
