Monday on Morning Joe, the main topic of conversation was the tweet President Trump sent out on Saturday accusing the Obama administration of surveillance during the 2016 campaign. Co-host Mika Brzezinski became emotional when speaking about deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defending Trump’s tweet and bemoaned the controversy as “a low point in American history.” The more she spoke about the situation, the more melodramatic she became. Brzezinski continued this demeanor for the entirety of the show.
The segment began with a clip of Sanders on ABC's This Week, speaking with Martha Raddatz. When the clip ended, Brzezinski exclaimed, “What the – what the hell? I’m sorry. This is is just...” Fellow co-host Joe Scarborough asked, “How do they go out and say if this did happen?" Brzezinski chimed in, “This White House is a joke.”
Scarborough continued his point:
They might as well have said if George W. Bush helped O.J. Simpson kill Nicole Brown, that would be the biggest scandal of all time. If Barack Obama had something to do with Jean Benet Ramsey's death, that would be the biggest political scandal of all time. I mean if – she [Sarah Huckabee Sanders] might as well have gone out and said that. There is no evidence, nor will there ever be any evidence, that Barack Obama, himself, ordered the tapping of Donald Trump's phones in Trump Tower and let us not be too clever here...and try to save the President from his own words. That is exactly what he stated happened on Twitter Saturday morning...Where do we go from here?
Political analyst Mark Halperin explained:“Yeah, so the irony is I think what has set the President off as much as anything else is a feeling that there are anonymous sources in Washington fueling news stories that are putting him on the defensive. And now you have the FBI director, people saying anonymously on his behalf, that he wants a statement saying that this isn't true. So, I agree...This is the exact situation that Steve Bannon, the President, and others in the White House, really bristle against which is anonymous powerful Washington figures going after him.”
Scarborough answered by savaging conservative news outlets, including radio host Mark Levin: “Right -- so Mark Halperin, though, what does the White House gain by the -- by the President of the – by Steve Bannon, most likely, handing the President of the United States a Breitbart article – and talking about what a rabid right-wing talk show host has been theorizing? Why does the President of the United States use those sources instead of his Intel sources and goes out and tweets, and starts a tweet storm that actually has Washington, D.C. at war with each other?” Halperin replied: “He doesn't feel people are defending him. He has got the power to defend himself. And it leaves the White House with less credibility on Capitol Hill, less credibility clearly with the media and amongst a lot of Republicans and distracted from a very complicated legislative agenda...”
Scarbrough replied: “Mika, he tweeted about Arnold Schwarzenegger later. He’s tweeted – I mean again, you can just – talk about undignified and un-presidential that is. But that just doesn't even matter next to charges against the 44th President of the United States and the FBI and everybody else. This is completely reckless...Also! He left in a rage on Friday afternoon. He was in a rage all weekend, reports have it.” Brzezinski sneered: “Because he just discovered that his Attorney General lied?...And his little speech good coverage went away.”
Scarborough retorted: “Yeah, because it was discovered that his Attorney General lied. So he is mad that his staff -- Maybe if his people -- stopped lying.” Brzezinski grumbled, “This is a very small man.” Scarborough went on: “Maybe if these people would stop lying about their contacts with Russia, maybe he could get out of the way and get some good press but they can't stop lying.”
Fired up and teary-eyed, Brzezinski began to lament:
I am going to get to President Obama's response in just a moment. But...there is a lot of reporting I have behind the scenes that Reince Priebus is flailing, to say the least, at his job...But I also don't understand why the former head of Breitbart appears to be handing the President some fake news and the President is just rifting on it wildly with no sense that he is President of the United States, no respect for the office, and calling a former President of the United States unbelievable names. And we are at a low point in American history and I don't know how anybody can defend this President, even if it's their job. Like you've got to have a job after this. You've got to look in the mirror after this. Sarah Huckabee or whoever is going to speak out next. You have to look in the mirror and think about this country after this is over. You need to think of the end game here, because there is one at the rate we are going.
After Brzezinski’s lachrymose rant, the rest of the segment consisted of the panelists agreeing with her sentiments. Later in the show, following the same clip of Sanders again, Brzezinski exclaimed: “This is really bad. Just for the record, we are all really nervous. So, if people out there feel nervous, we do, too. And we don't think this is funny.”
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MSNBC - Morning Joe
3/6/17
6AM TEASE
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: What the -- what the hell? I'm sorry.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: How do they go out and say if this did happen.
BRZEZINSKI: That is just the–
SCARBOROUGH: They might as well have said if George W. Bush–
BRZEZINSKI: This White House is a joke
SCARBOROUGH: kill– helped O.J. Simpson kill Nicole Brown- that would be the biggest scandal of all time. If Barack Obama had something to do with John Benet Ramsey's death, that would be the biggest political scandal of all time. I mean if– She (Sarah Huckabee Sanders) might as well have gone out and said that. There is no evidence, Mark Halperin, nor will there ever be any evidence that Barack Obama, himself, ordered the tapping of Donald Trump's phones in Trump Tower and let us not be too clever here.
BRZEZINSKI: No.
SCARBOROUGH: And try -- and try to save the President from his own words. That is exactly what he stated happened on Twitter Saturday morning. Not that the FBI went to the FISA court and they investigated the Russians and maybe intercepted some calls– No. Donald Trump said Barack Obama in the closing stages of his political campaign intercepted his phone calls in Trump Towers. Where do we go from here?
MARK HALPERIN: Yeah, so the irony is I think what has set the President off as much as anything else is a feeling that there are anonymous sources in Washington fueling news stories that are putting him on the defensive. And now you have the FBI director, people saying anonymously on his behalf, that he wants a statement saying that this isn't true. So, I agree that it will play out over time with the intelligence committees. It’ll play out over time within the white House staff as they try to figure out how to deal with this and try not to answer questions about it. But I think that immediately today, the question is this challenge basically, almost semipublic challenge, the director of the FBI has said to the justice department, say this isn't true. And if they don't act today, it will be fascinating to see what Comey does. This is the exact situation that Steve Bannon, the President, and others in the White House, really bristle against which is anonymous powerful Washington figures going after him.
SCARBOROUGH: Right— So Mark Halpern, though, what does the white house gain by the -- by the President of the – by Steve Bannon, most likely handing the President of the United States a Breitbart article–
BRZEZINSKI: A Breitbart article
SCARBOROUGH: And– talking about what a rabid right wing talk show host has been theorizing? Why does the President of the United States use those sources instead of his Intel sources and goes out and tweets, and starts a tweet storm that actually has Washington, D.C. at war with each other?
HALPERIN: Well why he does it again, I think it's because, like all Presidents we have ever covered, he doesn't feel people are defending him. He has got the power to defend himself. And it leaves the White House with less credibility on Capitol Hill, less credibility clearly with the media and amongst a lot of Republicans and distracted from a very complicated legislative agenda. So, the after action report in the administration, I can't find anybody who is happy that this happened. They are trying now to contain the damage and see if it's possible that that Spicer statement allows them to move on. But it's a– as Mike suggested it’s not an extraordinary Donald Trump tweet storm, it’s one that’s gonna have implications for a while.
SCARBOROUGH: No. This is not. Mika- he tweeted about Arnold Schwarzenegger later. He’s tweeted– I mean again, you can just – talk about undignified and un-presidential that is. But that just doesn't even matter next to charges against the 44th President of the United States and the FBI and everybody else. This is completely reckless and I could not find one person inside the White House -- and I spoke to many this weekend -- that defended Donald Trump. They were all scratching their heads saying they had no idea what this man was thinking.
BRZEZINSKI: Behind the scenes --
SCARBOROUGH: Also!
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah?
SCARBOROUGH: And we haven't talked about this. He left in a rage on Friday afternoon. He was in a rage all weekend, reports have it.
BRZEZINSKI: Because he just discovered that Attorney General lied?
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, because it was discovered that his Attorney General lied. So he is mad that his staff --
BRZEZINSKI: His little speech good coverage went away
SCARBOROUGH: Maybe if his people -- stopped lying.
BRZEZINSKI: This is a very small man.
SCARBOROUGH: Maybe if these people would stop lying about their contacts with Russia, maybe he could get out of the way and get some good press but they can't stop lying.
BRZEZINSKI: I am going to get to President Obama's response in just a moment. But Harold, you know, there is a lot of reporting I have behind the scenes that Reince Priebus is flailing, to say the least, at his job -- I'm hearing that from Bob – Acosta, Robert Acosta who is coming on later to talk about all of the different source he has on a story that’s similar. But I also don't understand why the former head of Breitbart appears to be handing the President some fake news and the President is just rifting on it wildly with no sense that he is President of the United States, no respect for the office, and calling a former President of the United States unbelievable names. And we are at a low point in American history and I don't know how anybody can defend this President, even if it's their job. Like you've got to have a job after this. You've got to look in the mirror after this. Sarah Huckabee or whoever is going to speak out next. You have to look in the mirror and think about this country after this is over. You need to think of the end game here, because there is one at the rate we are going. Harold?
HAROLD FORD JR: I agree with you. I think this, to everyone's point, this is a historic affront to the decency and the prestige of the office of the presidency...
(....)
BRZEZINSKI: And when you are out speaking for President Trump, I would urge you not laugh at yourself. Because this is not funny. This is really bad. Just for the record, we are all really nervous. So, if people out there feel nervous, we do, too. And we don't think this is funny.
