Earlier this week, Jonathan Karl, ABC News Chief White House Correspondent, confronted White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest over President Obama’s decision to nominate Colleen Bell, an Obama donor and former soap opera producer, to be the U.S. Ambassador to Hungary.
While ABC has yet to acknowledge it’s own reporter’s battle with the White House, on Wednesday night Daily Show host Jon Stewart eagerly mocked the situation and claimed “that is the greatest thing I have ever seen the president's press secretary do.”
Stewart began the segment by eagerly poking fun at President Obama nominating unqualified people to serve as U.S. ambassadors:
Well, maybe she can't name the interests in that region. She's a soap opera producer. She can help us when Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orban’s wife wakes up from a seven year coma just in time to call off her daughter’s wedding to a man with amnesia, who turns out to be a woman who’s pregnant with the illegitimate son of the prime minister’s evil twin Fernando. All this on tomorrow's All My Hungarian.
The Daily Show host then focused on the Karl-Earnest spat and laughed at the press secretary’s excuse for naming an Obama donor ambassador to Hungary:
Oh, well then they are following in the footsteps of our nation's first diplomat Benjamin Franklin. No, no not that one. [Picture of $100 dollar bill.] There you go. Of course ultimately the Senate was merely confirming ambassadors hand picked by the president. It’s the White House's responsibility. Meaning yesterday it was time for the person holding Washington's worst job to have a lousier day than usual.
Stewart then mockingly asked “how much does that guy want to reach over and tag out. Just give a quick one to Jay Carney or maybe Roman Reigns [WWE wrestler] or maybe one of the Uso’s or maybe Bray Wyatt, or perhaps Bruno San Martino could. I’ve been watching wrestling for a very long time. Answer the questions, Earnest.”
The segment concluded with one final takedown of Earnest with Stewart noting that “his entire job, his only job is built around trying not to go hey, look, I just [beep] work here. But that's what he did. Take it up with my supervisor. Earnest out.”
See relevant transcript below.
Comedy Central
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
December 3, 2014
JON STEWART: Well now I’m at least ready for some good news. Some positive news. Maybe something from the United States Senate.
BRET BAIER: The Senate confirmed new ambassadors to Argentina and Hungary today.
STEWART: There you go. Normally after the phrase “The Senate has confirmed” you get this.
GENE WILDER In “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”: Nothing, you lose. Good day, sir.
STEWART: But they did it. They did something. And Argentina and Hungary man that ain’t nothing. Those are important countries. Argentina is one of the western hemispheres largest economies going through a debt crisis. Hungary is being governed by like a Putin demagogue type fella. These are critical posts and I'm glad that our Senate was able to put aside its culture of partisan divisiveness. Do something noble and good for this country. Let's meet our new American emissaries to the world.
GAYLE KING: Noah Mamet is now the ambassador to Argentina.
UNKNOWN PERSON: He’s being criticized for never setting foot in Argentina.
KING: He doesn’t speak Spanish.STEWART: Que? Donde esta his qualifications? Although I can see getting someone to represent us in Argentina who is fluent is Spanish would be very difficult. I mean barely two-thirds of our population speak it. Well, maybe the ambassador to Hungary will redeem our selection process.
BAIER: Hungarian Ambassador Colleen Bell use to be a soap opera producer. She admitted in her hearing she could not name the U.S. interests in that region.
STEWART: Okay, okay. Well, maybe she can't name the interests in that region. She's a soap opera producer. She can help us when Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orban’s wife wakes up from a seven year coma just in time to call off her daughter’s wedding to a man with amnesia, who turns out to be a woman who’s pregnant with the illegitimate son of the prime minister’s evil twin Fernando. All this on tomorrow's All My Hungarian. Hold on a second, I seem to remember that earlier in the year we covered these people’s confirmation hearings and they seemed terrible then too. But there was some special qualification they did have. What was that?
UNKNOWN PERSON 2: Bell did raise $1.4 million dollars for President Obama's reelection campaign.
UNKNOWN PERSON 3: Mamet generated more than $500,000 for the president’s reelection.
STEWART: Oh, well then they are following in the footsteps of our nation's first diplomat Benjamin Franklin. No, no not that one. [Picture of $100 dollar bill.] There you go. Of course ultimately the Senate was merely confirming ambassadors hand picked by the president. It’s the White House's responsibility. Meaning yesterday it was time for the person holding Washington's worst job to have a lousier day than usual.
JOSH EARNEST: Ambassador Bell has the president's confidence that she will do an excellent job.
JONATHAN KARL: Where does she get that confidence?
EARNEST: She certainly is somebody again that has had her own distinguished private sector career.
KARL: A soap opera producer, right?
EARNEST: Well, and as somebody who has obviously has succeeded in the business world.
STEWART: How much does that guy want to reach over and tag out. Just give a quick one to Jay Carney or maybe Roman Reigns [WWE wrestler] or maybe one of the Uso’s or maybe Bray Wyatt, or perhaps Bruno San Martino could. I’ve been watching wrestling for a very long time. Answer the questions, Ernest.
KARL: Can you tell me the fact that she helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the president’s reelection campaign has nothing to do with her appointment? You can’t say that can you?
EARNEST: I can tell you that that’s not reason that she was chosen. I can tell you that the reason she was chosen--
KARL: Was that a factor in the decision?
EARNEST: Frankly, I was not part of this decision making process.
STEWART: What? You can't do that. That is the greatest thing I have ever seen the president's press secretary do. His entire job, his only job is built around trying not to go hey, look, I just [beep] Work here. But that's what he did. Take it up with my supervisor. Earnest out. We’ll be right back.
