Tuesday’s CBS Mornings and NBC’s Today followed up their Monday attempts to smear tens of millions of conservatives and Republicans as responsible for Friday’s brutal attack on Paul Pelosi by insisting the suspect was engaged in “far-right extremism” and tied to both the Tea Party movement and the 2010 GOP wave.
On CBS, correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti tied the attack to the midterm elections: “With the midterm elections a week away and threats against officials escalating, the DA called on everyone to tone down the rhetoric.”
Like NBC would do, co-host Tony Dokoupil focused on comments from Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R) in which she simply noted that, in answering a question about securing schools, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has “protect[ion] when she’s in D.C.” but “apparently, her house doesn’t have a lot of protection.”
The crowd laughed, leaving the media to argue Lake represented the GOP making fun of the attack.
“Many Republicans have condemned the attack on Paul Pelosi, but some others have made light of it, including Kari Lake, who is in a tight race for governor in Arizona. She brought the assault up when replying to a question about safety in schools,” Dokoupil said.
After the clip, Dokoupil lamented to chief election and campaign correspondent Roberta Costa: “We've got Mike Pence. We’ve got Ben Sasse, other Republicans condemning the attack. She's taking a different route. What do those comments say about our current political climate?”
Costa replied by tying the deranged, Berkeley-residing nudist to the very people he covered for National Review in the 2010s: the Tea Party.
Think back to 2010, that year of a Republican wave, the Tea Party movement. The Republicans ran on a fire Nancy Pelosi campaign. She was then a target politically of scorn and ridicule. Her Republican critics cast her as a San Francisco elitist and really for more than a decade now, that approach to Pelosi has continued.
To recap: Costa insisted calling Pelosi an “elitist” and saying that she should be “fire[d]” was toxic and threatening.
Costa kept going:
And even at this traumatic moment for her and her family, the laughter at that event is not that surprising, and the fact that’s not that surprising is revealing of our deeply partisan, deeply divided political moment[.]
Over on NBC, Today co-host Hoda Kotb griped in a tease that San Francisco “officials are knocking down conspiracy theories about the attack itself being pushed online.”
Co-host Savannah Guthrie went a step further by complaining about the “string of new online conspiracy theories” while also tying this mentally-ill suspect (who blogged about) to “far-right extremism.”
Senior national correspondent Miguel Almaguer had the same grievance: “Online conspiracy theories have surfaced on the right, some pushed by prominent figures from Ted Cruz to Elon Musk to Donald Trump Jr.”
So what exactly are these “conspiracy theories”? One example was that Paul Pelosi and the attacker knew each other. But one problem: they themselves (and police) reported it for days until it was corrected Sunday.
But Almaguer didn’t mention that and instead carried water for the district attorney, saying she “warn[ed] of misinformation.”
And as further proof that the left is mortified she’ll skate to victory next week, Almaguer also bashed Lake, claiming she “[made] light of the incident.”
Tuesday’s attempts to tar and feather tens of millions of Americans was made possible thanks to help from advertisers such as Ashley Homestore (on CBS) and Fidelity (on NBC). Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcripts from November 1, click “expand.”
CBS Mornings
November 1, 2022
7:01 a.m. Eastern [TEASE]JOHN BERMAN [on CNN’s AC360, 10/31/22]: Kari Lake, who’s running for governor in Arizona, appeared to joke about the attack.
KARI LAKE: Nancy Pelosi, well, she’s got protected when she’s in D.C. Apparently, her house doesn't have a lot of protection.
(....)
7:06 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Pelosi Attack Suspect Charged; Police: Suspect Planned to Kidnap and Torture House Speaker]
JONATHAN VIGLIOTTI: With the midterm elections a week away and threats against officials escalating, the DA called on everyone to tone down the rhetoric.
SAN FRANCISCO DA BROOKE JENKINS: We should also be able to engage in passionate political discourse, but still remain respectful of one another.
(....)
7:07:03 a.m.
1 minute and 28 seconds[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Political Rhetoric Over Pelosi Attack; AZ GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Jokes About Security at Pelosi’s Home]
TONY DOKOUPIL: Many Republicans have condemned the attack on Paul Pelosi, but some others have made light of it, including Kari Lake, who is in a tight race for governor in Arizona. She brought the assault up when replying to a question about safety in schools. Listen.
LAKE: It is not impossible to protect our kids at school. They act like it is. Nancy Pelosi, well, she’s got protected when she’s in D.C. Apparently, her house doesn't have a lot of protection. [CROWD LAUGHS]
DOKOUPIL: It's the laughter from the crowd that also really gets you. Now let's bring in Bob Costa, who’s in Pennsylvania following the campaign there. Bob, good morning. I want to talk about Pennsylvania. But first, the clip we just heard from Kari Lake. We've got Mike Pence. We’ve got Ben Sasse, other Republicans condemning the attack. She's taking a different route. What do those comments say about our current political climate?
ROBERT COSTA: Good morning. She is taking a different route. Think back to 2010, that year of a Republican wave, the Tea Party movement. The Republicans ran on a fire Nancy Pelosi campaign. She was then a target politically of scorn and ridicule. Her Republican critics cast her as a San Francisco elitist and really for more than a decade now, that approach to Pelosi has continued. And even at this traumatic moment for her and her family, the laughter at that event is not that surprising, and the fact that’s not that surprising is revealing of our deeply partisan, deeply divided political moment, which continues across the country ahead of the midterms.
DOKOUPIL: Yeah, it sure does.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NBC’s Today
November 1, 2022
7:00 a.m. Eastern [TEASE]SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: And we’re learning about what may have motivated that brutal attack on Speaker Pelosi's husband.
HODA KOTB: And officials are knocking down conspiracy theories about the attack itself being pushed online.
(....)
7:03 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Pelosi Suspect in Court Today]
GURTHRIE: And new details are coming to light this morning on his social media posts, focused on far-right extremism, leading to a string of new online conspiracy theories about the attack itself.
(....)
7:04 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Pelosi Suspect in Court Today]
MIGUEL ALMAGUER: As many have condemned the political rhetoric surrounding the attack, the DA warning of misinformation.
SAN FRANCISCO DA BROOKE JENKINS: I think the main hurdle right now when we have so many people putting out misinformation, quite frankly, into the public.
ALMAGUER: Online conspiracy theories have surfaced on the right, some pushed by prominent figures from Ted Cruz to Elon Musk to Donald Trump Jr. Overnight, Republican candidate for Arizona governor, Kari Lake, making light of the incident.
KARI LAKE: Nancy Pelosi, well, she’s got protected when she’s in D.C. Apparently, her house doesn't have a lot of protection. [CROWD LAUGHS]
