On Wednesday’s edition of Jose Diaz-Balart Reports on MSNBC, guest host Lindsey Reiser welcomed Rep. Sara Jacobs on to the program to talk about getting arrested on Tuesday as part of a stunt in front of the Supreme Court. Instead of asking about the unserious and unintentionally hilarious theatrical elements of it, Reiser asked if she would be willing to do it all again “if you had to.”
Resiser kicked off the segment by reporting, “More than a dozen House Democrats were arrested outside the U.S. Supreme Court while protesting the Court's ruling last month, overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. U.S. Capitol Police say the lawmakers were among 35 people detained yesterday afternoon for blocking a street in front of the High Court building.”
They also raised their fists in the air while pretending to be handcuffed, but Reiser didn’t mention that. Instead, she introduced Jacobs and wondered, “Why did you and your colleagues decide to go out and commit civil disobedience, as you put it?”
After promoting abortion, Jacobs tried to blame pro-life states for her own fear-mongering, “You know, this fight is currently being fought on people's bodies across this country. We are hearing horrific stories of people in doctors' offices, emergency rooms who can't get the care they need.”
She then continued with the unintentional hilarity by claiming “it only felt right for those of us who are in Congress, for those of us who have power, to put our bodies on the line to fight and protect for those who can't do that right now.”
Not only was Jacobs doing the interview from Congress and not from a jail cell, the video played alongside her showed her laughing and smiling while supposedly being detained at the exact moment she claimed to be putting her body on the line.
Still, Reiser was willing to help Jacobs pretend like she did something brave, “Is this the first time you've been arrested for doing something like this? And would you be willing to do it again, if you had to?”
“Had to” makes it seem as if she could possibly accomplish something other than making a fool out of herself and getting a softball MSNBC interview. For her part, Jacobs claimed, “It was my first time. I got some very angry text messages from my parents after, but, look, I think that we are in an incredibly important fight about the fundamental rights of at least half of our population.”
There is no right to an abortion, but unfortunately for the rest of us, neither is there a right to have serious members of Congress.
This segment was sponsored by Verizon.
Here is a transcript for the July 20 show:
MSNBC Jose Diaz-Balart Reports
7/20/2022
10:29 AM ET
LINDSEY REISER: It's 29 past the hour. More than a dozen House Democrats were arrested outside the U.S. Supreme Court while protesting the Court's ruling last month, overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. U.S. Capitol Police say the lawmakers were among 35 people detained yesterday afternoon for blocking a street in front of the High Court building. With us, one of the lawmakers who was arrested yesterday, California Congresswoman Sara Jacobs.
Congresswoman, thanks for being with us. Why did you and your colleagues decide to go out and commit civil disobedience, as you put it?
SARA JACOBS: You know, for me, representing California where I'm proud to still have the right to access an abortion, for now, I felt like it was really important for me to go out and show that—that-- we are not backing down and we're not going to stop fighting until every person across this country has that same right to access abortion.
You know, this fight is currently being fought on people's bodies across this country. We are hearing horrific stories of people in doctors' offices, emergency rooms who can't get the care they need and so it only felt right for those of us who are in Congress, for those of us who have power, to put our bodies on the line to fight and protect for those who can't do that right now.
REISER: Is this the first time you've been arrested for doing something like this? And would you be willing to do it again, if you had to?
JACOBS: It was my first time. I got some very angry text messages from my parents after, but, look, I think that we are in an incredibly important fight about the fundamental rights of at least half of our population. And even those of us who are not currently impacted because we do live in blue states, that right is not guaranteed if there's a federal abortion ban and we know all of us are impacted and so I think it's important we all do everything we can to fight and get back these rights that, you know, people have had for at least 50 years before this.
