Anchoring an ABC News Special Report early Monday evening on the deadly school shooting at Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, senior national correspondent Terry Moran offered up one of the worst takes yet on the massacre by seeming to tie the transgender suspect’s premeditated attack on this Presbyterian school to Tennessee Republicans fighting back against gender mutilation and protecting children from graphic sexual content.
Moran offered this ghoulish insinuation after a press conference from Nashville officials in which they confirmed reporting and speculation of the gunman’s identity, their perceived gender identity, and how she left behind a manifesto and drawings of the school to chart the attack.
After recapping that Police Chief John Drake provided much of the details (such as more on the deceased), Moran sought to offer the same sort of excuse for why two young children and three staff members were killed that someone might pin skirt length on a rape victim.
“Ah, state of Tennessee earlier this month passed and the governor signed a bill that banned transgender medical care for minors,” Moran ghoulishly huffed, adding they also passed “a law that prohibited adult entertainment, including male and female impersonators, after a series of drag show controversies in that state.”
This blame game stayed on Moran’s twisted mind in tossing to Justice correspondent Pierre Thomas and remarking to him that this was “a highly unusual crime in so many ways, a tragedy that now involves what may be this boiling controversy across the country around transgender health care.”
Thankfully, Thomas wanted nothing to do with this, focusing on what Drake provided to the public about the level of planning the person appeared to have engaged in and the response from officers. Thomas would only offer a quick note about gender identity: “Clearly, the fact that the person is being identified — we don’t know yet the exact role that transgender played in it – clearly is unusual to have a case like this.”
For those paying attention, it was a logical conclusion that at least someone in the liberal media would offer sympathy or even a thin layer of cover to someone who allegedly carried out an attack on a Christian community for the sin of rejecting the ways of the world and instead holding firm to Christ through persecution.
Because this was a network special report, there were unfortunately no advertisers for us to shame for supporting this bigoted smear.
To see the relevant transcript from March 27, click “expand.”
ABC News Special Report
March 27, 2023
5:25 p.m. EasternTERRY MORAN: Alright, that is Police Chief John Drake of Nashville who is briefing reporters on the deadly grade school shooting in Nashville at the Covenant School there this morning. The police confirming six dead, three children, one eight years old to nine years old, and three adults, including Katherine Koonce, who is the head of the Covenant School. The police chief also said that the shooter has been identified as 28-year-old female Audrey Hale, said she’s a former student of the school and confirmed that Audrey Hale was a — identified herself as a transgender person. Ah, state of Tennessee earlier this month passed and the governor signed a bill that banned transgender medical care for minors, as well as a law that prohibited adult entertainment, including male and female impersonators. After a series of drag show controversies in that state. Once again, the shooter, Audrey Hale, 28 years old, identified as transgender female. Mayor John Cooper of Nashville, spoke for many and he said he’s overwhelmed by the loss at the covenant school this morning. I want to bring in our Justice Department correspondent Pierre Thomas, who has covered so many of these shootings. And this now, while the police chief specifically said they are investigating motive, this is a highly unusual crime in so many ways, a tragedy that now involves what may be this boiling controversy across the country around transgender health care.
PIERRE THOMAS: Terry, devastating situation. I think one of the things that struck me about his press briefing is that he made it very clear that this was a premeditated mass shooting, that the shooter had maps of the school, that the shooter had done surveillance of the school, shot through the door to get into the school. So, this was the person who clearly had been planning this, intended to kill those people. And he — in emphasizing how quickly the officers acted, laid out that this could have been so much worse. And it’s clear — clearly a horrible situation that we saw unfold. The information — they have a lot of information, the fact that they found a manifesto, writings of this person. As we predicted, they would likely be something that would point to the why in this case, also that they are doing a search, looking at the social media footprint of this person. A lot more to unfold. But clearly, the fact that the person is being identified — we don’t know yet the exact role that transgender played in it. Clearly is unusual to have a case like this. Also, he put out the fire power — assault style rifle assault — assault style pistol handgun, lots of ammunition, devastating day. That could have been much worse.
