CNN White House correspondent John Harwood joined CNN Newsroom on Friday to recap President Biden’s Thursday speech by declaring that journalists must defend it against criticism it was too partisan and too divisive. Not that long after, Harwood tweeted he would be leaving CNN.
Host Jim Sciutto did not ask for Harwood’s opinion, but rather wanted to know how the White House was responding to the criticism, “John, if I could begin with you, John, the White House, the president standing by this message, despite criticism even from his own party, that it went too far, too political. What are they saying?”
Predictably, Harwood reported the White House is “standing by” the speech, but then proceeded to turn from reporter to spokesman, “Of course it was a political speech in a midterm reelection year. The issues that he’s talking about are inherently political, but I think it’s also important to say that the core point he made in that political speech about a threat to democracy is true.”
Addressing the industry, Harwood continued, “Now, that's something that's not easy for us, as journalists, to say. We're brought up to believe there's two different political parties with different points of view and we don't take sides in honest disagreements between them.”
Coming from Harwood, that is hilarious. Harwood routinely takes sides between the parties’ “honest disagreements” and prepped for that infamous GOP primary debate by asking Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta what he should ask Jeb Bush and lamenting to him that the GOP was “veering off the rails” and earlier on CNN Newsroom, Stefano Pozzebon compared Biden’s speech to Argentina’s president condemning a failed assassination attempt against his vice president.
That is why it is hard to take Harwood seriously when he declares, “But that's not what we're talking about. These are not honest disagreements. The Republican Party right now is led by a dishonest demagogue. Many, many Republicans are rallying behind his lies about the 2020 election and other things as well.”
If Harwood was a real journalist, he would wonder if January 6 Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson’s precedent of spewing lies about elections means Democrats are also a bunch of demagogues. If he really believed in not taking “sides in honest disagreements,” he would’ve condemned Biden’s remarks about pro-lifers and Republicans coming after birth control.
Instead, Harwood claimed, “By offering pardons or suggesting people for those people who violently attacked the Capitol... Donald Trump made Joe Biden's point for him.” And this segment made all of Harwood’s critics points for them when they say he will not be missed at CNN.
This segment was sponsored by Ensure.
Here is a transcript for the September 2 show:
CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto
9/2/2022
10:08 AM ET
JIM SCIUTTO: John, if I could begin with you, John, the White House, the president standing by this message, despite criticism even from his own party, that it went too far, too political. What are they saying?
JOHN HARWOOD: Well, look, they are standing by the message that President Biden offered. Of course it was a political speech in a midterm reelection year. The issues that he’s talking about are inherently political, but I think it’s also important to say that the core point he made in that political speech about a threat to democracy is true. Now, that's something that's not easy for us, as journalists, to say. We're brought up to believe there's two different political parties with different points of view and we don't take sides in honest disagreements between them.
But that's not what we're talking about. These are not honest disagreements. The Republican Party right now is led by a dishonest demagogue. Many, many Republicans are rallying behind his lies about the 2020 election and other things as well. And a significant portion, or a sufficient portion, of the constituency that they're leading attacked the Capitol on January 6th violently. By offering pardons or suggesting people for those people who violently attacked the Capitol, which you've been pointing out numerous times this morning, Donald Trump made Joe Biden's point for him.
