As America began to reel from the political firestorm caused by the Justice Department’s indictment of former President Donald Trump, resident MSNBC bloviator Joe Scarborough took to his Friday morning show along with former Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill (MO) to promote a wild and baseless conspiracy theory that Trump tried to sell classified documents to Saudi Arabia.
The far-left MSNBC hosts pounced on the indictment, characterizing Trump as “a direct threat to national security,” and accused him of selling the classified documents to Saudi Arabia in exchange for the Saudis’ decision to lower oil production, supposedly in an attempt to make oil prices spike and thus hurt President Biden’s popularity.
McCaskill ranted:
“He is so dangerous, so dangerous to our national security … one of the things, as Jen pointed out, is that he could use them to continue to curry favor with Saudi Arabia. And what could Saudi Arabia do for Donald Trump right now? They could cut production of oil and raise gas prices.”
This was not the first time MSNBC has promoted this theory. Nicolle Wallace recently peddled the same speculation.
The problem with this, however, was that there is exactly zero evidence to support it. So much so, that fellow far-left extremist outlet The Washington Post reported that investigators saw “no discernible business interest” in the documents. Wallace, McCaskill, and Scarborough had their minds stuck so far deep in their liberal fantasy bubble that they even ignored their own friendly outlet.
Scarborough imagined even further, implying that Saudi Arabia’s recently decision to decrease oil production against President Biden’s wishes was all part of Trump’s scheme to sell them documents:
“He cut production, prices went down anyway. Everything they were warning him about came to fruition … I think for many, the question may answer itself.”
The question in fact did answer itself, with the indictment being released. Nowhere in its nearly 50 pages does special counsel Jack Smith mention the Saudis or any conspiracy by Trump to sell classified documents.
As for the Saudis snubbing Biden, the answer was really simple. Biden himself, as a candidate, infamously called the country – one of America’s most important allies in the Middle East - a “pariah” and said he would make them “pay the price” for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It was not hard to figure out that a nation directly threatened by Biden would not want to help Biden or work with him. Since Trump wasn’t on the market for selling top secret government documents, perhaps a better investment for the Saudis would be to research to find a cure for Scarborough and MSNBC’s Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Joe Scarborough’s deranged conspiracy theory was sponsored by GSK and 4imprint. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
MSNBC’s Morning Joe
06/09/23
7:10 AM ET
(…)
JOE SCARBOROUGH: These people suggesting that he didn’t have malicious intent in mind, they’re ignoring a very, very long paper trail.
CLAIRE MCCASKILL: He is so dangerous, he is so dangerous to our national security. And it is just fascinating to me that people in Congress who understand the consequences of what he has done and how he has done it, continue to defend him.
I mean, you know, we've talked about what he would do with these documents. One of the things, as Jen pointed out, is that he could use them to continue to curry favor with Saudi Arabia.
And what could Saudi Arabia do for Donald Trump right now? They could cut production of oil and raise gas prices. Nothing could hurt Joe Biden more than raising gas prices next year, three, four months from the election. And Trump knows that. He is willing to do anything to do two things: promote himself and make money, country be damned.
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, and by the way, the headline, it's so fascinating that you say that, Claire, because on the Drudge Report, there are all the headlines about the indictments, but at the very top, the headline, Saudi crowned prince threatened major economic pain on the U.S. amid oil feuds. And by the way, what was Donald Trump angry about regarding his son-in-law, Jared Kushner?MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, yep, yep.
SCARBOROUGH: That Jared Kushner got $2 billion for his fund from the Saudis and he didn't get a cut of it. He was, according to reports, enraged that he didn't get a cut of the money that Jared went out and raised after he left the White House.
Maybe this is again speculation, we're not exactly sure why they're not- not communicating as much, but there was a real bitterness that he didn't get a cut of that money. And there's no doubt he wants a cut, not only of that money, but of Saudi money.
And let me just say one other thing, too. Talking to my sources in the Middle East, and I asked them, after the Saudis cut production to raise oil prices, I asked them all, what were you doing? What were you thinking? Biden goes over, he brings -- with political damage done to his political brand in America, he gets the crowned prince out of the corner, goes over, gives him a fist bump. And the crowned prince turns around a couple of weeks later, stabs Biden in the back, forgive the -- the description, undermines Joe Biden.
Why would he do that? And you talk to oil ministers, talk to other people in the Middle East. They were counselling him not to do it. They said it made no sense. And he cut production, prices went down anyway. Everything they were warning him about came to fruition. So why in the world would the Saudi crowned prince cut oil production when everybody else in OPEC was telling him not to do it. Everybody else in OPEC was saying, this made no sense. Everybody else was saying that this is not the time.
Well, you all think about it.
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: I think, for many, the question may answer itself.
(…)
