Filling in for Anderson Cooper on Monday’s AC360, John Berman chided Carly Fiorina spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores over Fiorina’s outspoken criticism of Planned Parenthood in the wake of their aborted baby parts video scandal with the CNN host imploring Flores to consider admitting that her boss “is getting it wrong” about the content of the videos.
In a lead-in to the interview, Berman labeled Fiorina’s remarks during the second GOP debate about the videos as “controversial remarks” about “a scene from an undercover, anti-Planned Parenthood video, a description that has been widely questioned.”
Right from the get-go, Berman began scolding her under the guise of “non-partisan fact checkers” and “Fox News, which is hardly an enemy of many Republicans” that have supposedly “all pointed out that Carly Fiorina is misrepresenting the videos, the clips she continues to reference doesn't show what she says it shows.”
Following that short lecture, Berman wanted to know from Flores: “Wouldn't it just be better to admit that she is getting it wrong about this clip?” Not to be intimated, Flores shot back by not only refuting the claims by “fact checkers” but Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd (whom Fiorina spared with on Sunday):
She's not getting it wrong. It's at the 5:56 mark. You know, it’s so interesting is that Chuck Todd never showed the video. In fact, a lot of these folks have never shown the video, they don’t link to it. The Washington Post recently said that Carly wasn't a secretary, either.
When Berman tried to turn away briefly from that last point, Flores maintained: “My point is the non-partisan fact checkers aren't as non-partisan as you pretending that they are.” In turn, Berman recycled his first point by again admonishing Flores: “Well, so, Fox News, I don't think, is anti Republican. The clip shows someone describing the scene. You hear someone describing the scene and then see file video which doesn't show what Carly Fiorina says it shows.”
Continuing to not throw in the towel, Flores schooled Berman on the videos and the abortion provider’s response thus far to the scandal:
So, to be clear, Planned Parenthood has gone out and said that there is no such video showing an aborted fetus kicking on the table. They say there is a stillborn fetus somewhere else in the video. That is not true. That has been widely discredited, but the left continues to repeat it, including non-partisan pact checkers who are not checking facts. That is an aborted fetus that was kept alive in the metal tray to die in the metal tray while kicking for life, so that is ridiculous. It is minute 5:56 and you should show the video to say it's widely discredited. That's not true.
For further reading on this matter about whether these unnamed “non-partisan fact checkers” are right, check out this fine piece compiled by the staff of The Federalist. Nonetheless, Berman remained firmly in his camp as he spun for Planned Parenthood yet again:
BERMAN: But the video doesn't show what the person is describing and relitigating this point, I think, probably isn't fruitful because the bottom line is Carly Fiorina is not going to back down on this, let's be clear.
FLORES: No.
BERMAN: Okay and she can't just take on Planned Parenthood without talking about this video?
Flores then remarked the Fiorina is “happy to take on Planned Parenthood every day of the week” despite the disgusting scene she experienced over the weekend:
These are the people who yesterday – sorry, this weekend, Carly was visiting a pregnancy center and tweeted out “ugh, Carly visits pregnancy center.” That's disgusting. They can't acknowledge these people are doing good work, bringing people’s babies into the world. Their thought was “ugh, how dare she visit a pregnancy center, one that doesn’t receive public funding” because they don’t perform abortions.
It should be noted that this was not Flores’s first battle with a member of the liberal media. On September 2, Flores appeared on MSNBC’s All In and sparred with host Chris Hayes over whether or not climate change is to blame for the drought in California.
The relevant portions of the transcript from CNN’s AC360 on September 28 can be found below.
CNN’s AC360
September 28, 2015
8:30 p.m. Eastern
JOHN BERMAN: Over the weekend, Ms. Fiorina defended controversial remarks she made about Planned Parenthood during the second Republican debate. As you may recall, she described a scene from an undercover, anti-Planned Parenthood video, a description that has been widely questioned.
(....)
BERMAN: Joining me now, Sarah Isgur Flores, Carly Fiorina's deputy campaign manager. Thanks so much for being with us and Sarah, as you know, it's not just NBC or Meet the Press, it’s nonpartisan fact checkers, other news organizations, including Fox News, which is hardly an enemy of many Republicans, they have all pointed out that Carly Fiorina is misrepresenting the videos, the clips she continues to reference doesn't show what she says it shows. Wouldn't it just be better to admit that she is getting it wrong about this clip?
SARAH ISGUR FLORES: She's not getting it wrong. It's at the 5:56 mark. You know, it’s so interesting is that Chuck Todd never showed the video. In fact, a lot of these folks have never shown the video, they don’t link to it. The Washington Post recently said that Carly wasn't a secretary, either.
BERMAN: Let's leave that aside for a second because –
FLORES: My point is the non-partisan fact checkers aren't as non-partisan as you pretending that they are.
BERMAN: Well, so, Fox News, I don't think, is anti Republican. The clip shows someone describing the scene. You hear someone describing the scene and then see file video which doesn't show what Carly Fiorina says it shows.
FLORES: So, to be clear, Planned Parenthood has gone out and said that there is no such video showing an aborted fetus kicking on the table. They say there is a stillborn fetus somewhere else in the video. That is not true. That has been widely discredited, but the left continues to repeat it, including non-partisan pact checkers who are not checking facts. That is an aborted fetus that was kept alive in the metal try to die in the metal trey while kicking for life, so that is ridiculous. It is minute 5:56 and you should show the video to say it's widely discredited. That's not true. Also, Planned Parenthood is not saying this isn't happening. They are not saying that they are not aborting babies alive to harvest their organs. They are not saying that. Instead, they are trying to quibble over a video and it is true someone is describing how she was told to harvest it's brain. That's what is going on.
BERMAN: But the video doesn't show what the person is describing and relitigating this point, I think, probably isn't fruitful because the bottom line is Carly Fiorina is not going to back down on this, let's be clear.
FLORES: No.
BERMAN: Okay and she can't just take on Planned Parenthood without talking about this video?
FLORES: Absolutely. We're happy to take on Planned Parenthood every day of the week. These are the people who yesterday – sorry, this weekend, Carly was visiting a pregnancy center and tweeted out “ugh, Carly visits pregnancy center.” That's disgusting. They can't acknowledge these people are doing good work, bringing people’s babies into the world. Their thought was “ugh, how dare she visit a pregnancy center, one that doesn’t receive public funding” because they don’t perform abortions
BERMAN: So the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that came out today shows 60 percent of Americans oppose taking away all of Planned Parenthood's federal funding and I know Carly Fiorina supports taking away that federal funding. I just want to make clear: She would support a government shut down to do so?
FLORES: We need to remove Planned Parenthood’s funding and Republicans need to stand for this. The majority of Americans believe that we should not have abortions after 20 weeks, late-term abortions and by the way, speaking of fact checkers, when Hillary Clinton was asked about that this week, she said the the only late-term abortions happening are out of medical necessity. That is patently false, that is provable, demonstrably false, no fact checks available.
