If any more proof was needed of how un-self-aware MSNBC really was, Charles Coleman Jr. rose to the occasion while filling in for Monday night’s The 11th Hour. To discuss a reported national security breach of the Trump administration, Coleman ostensibly interviewed Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA.), but in fact just let Swalwell mouth off at will, while completely ignoring the fact that Swalwell himself had been the subject of an embarrassing national security scandal.
Coleman opened up the segment on how Jeffrey Goldstein, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, had seemingly somehow been accidentally included in a White House group chat about airstrikes in Yemen that should have been secure. He then introduced Swalwell, who he mentioned had previously served on the House Intelligence Committee.
Coleman broadly invited Swalwell to “Just give me your blanket reaction to this news (...),” as though Swalwell were the perfect untarnished authority to do that.
“Pete Hegseth thinks that Pete Hegseth should be fired,” Swalwell declared:
(...) [O]n his weekend shows, he has called out people for instances of national security that were not even close to what he did… [F]or them to be gone. So it's actually remarkable to me that… Pete Hegseth has not resigned. He should absolutely resign. He may have violated the Espionage Act… He also violated the “Don't Be an Idiot Act.” … And so this is… very concerning… [I]t's shocking that he's still the secretary of defense.
What Coleman completely neglected to mention, though, was that while on that committee Swalwell himself had become embroiled in a national security scandal when it turned out that he was dating a woman named Fang Fang, who was exposed as a Chinese spy.
Regardless of the merits of Swalwell’s assessment of Hegseth, the reality was that if Eric Swalwell thought Pete Hegseth should resign, Eric Swalwell should have thought Eric Swalwell should resign.
Far from challenging Swalwell in any way, Coleman egged him on, “how prepared are Democrats to push the call for Hegseth’s resignation? You've said that this is something that really should result in him leaving this post. Are Democrats ready for that fight?”
Swalwell continued:
Hey, I'm ready for it… [O]ur enemies in the world are looking at this clown show, and they're wondering, is this the time to, maybe, invade Taiwan, cause America doesn't have its act together?... [Y]es, we have to… call for his resignation(...)
The detail about a threat to Taiwan was especially rich considering the specific nature of Swalwell’s own personal “clown show,” but Coleman continued to overlook the elephant in the room.
A moment later, in the context of MSNBC’s party line that the Democrats were supposedly too accommodating of Trump, Coleman said to Swalwell: “I can't help but to think about when you get on an airplane, and they say, ‘secure your mask before you secure the mask of someone else.’”
After Swalwell’s show of righteous indignation over the sanctity of national security, that analogy would in fact have been quite appropriate. MSNBC, though, flagrantly ignored the real way in which it would have been appropriate.
To view the full transcript, click "expand" to read:
MSNBC’s The 11th Hour
03/24/2025
11:25 PM(...)
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: WAR PLANS DIVULGED ON GROUP CHAT WITH TOP TRUMP ADMIN. OFFICIALS]
CHARLES COLEMAN JR.: The Trump administration continues to face questions after its national security team accidentally included The Atlantic's editor-in-chief on a group chat about U.S. attack plans in Yemen.
Here to discuss, is Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell of California. He previously served on the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thank you for being here.
REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D- CA.): My pleasure.
COLEMAN: Just give me your blanket reaction to this news about this, essentially, group chat, about military activity.
SWALWELL: Pete Hegseth thinks that Pete Hegseth should be fired. If you listen to what he has said over the years on his weekend shows, he has called out people for instances of national security that were not even close to what he did- as far as his breach- for them to be gone.
So it's actually remarkable to me that, as we talk right now, Pete Hegseth has not resigned. He should absolutely resign. He may have violated the Espionage Act, as some of your other guests have said. He also violated the “Don't Be an Idiot Act.”
And it's also concerning that the other people in the group chat didn't say, “Hey, should this even be on signal?” or, two, “Are we allowed to have disappearing messages considering all the records we're supposed to keep?” and, three “Hey, who's that number that none of us recognize?”
And so- this is, of course, very concerning. And as someone who represents, you know, a pretty big troop community with the military base in one of the biggest cities in my district, this puts all of their security at risk.
So, it's shocking that he's still the secretary of defense.
COLEMAN: Congressman, given everything that you've just said, how prepared are Democrats to push the call for Hegseth’s resignation? You've said that this is something that really should result in him leaving this post. Are Democrats ready for that fight?
SWALWELL: Hey, I'm ready for it.
And we have to meet the moment right now, because our adversaries, our enemies in the world are looking at this clown show, and they're wondering, is this the time to, maybe, invade Taiwan, cause America doesn't have its act together? Is this the time, you know, for our terrorist organization to hit America, because these morons are on the watch?
And so, yes, we have to meet this moment right now, call for his resignation, and also insist that we have all the records that they have tried to delete, so we understand just what else has been put at risk.
(...)
COLEMAN: You know, congressman, I can't help but to think about when you get on an airplane, and they say, “secure your mask before you secure the mask of someone else.”
Democrats right now- and this is supported by a poll from Quinnipiac- is [sic.] showing that they're underwater with their own voters for the first time in this poll's history.
So while I can appreciate you going to Republican districts and having these conversations with other folks, it seems like there's a need for you, your colleagues, and the rest of the party to really secure your actual voter base.
(...)
