On Tuesday's Nightly Show, Comedy Central's Larry Wilmore celebrated a Texas grand jury's indictment of David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the pro-life Center for Medical Progress, who shot the hidden camera videos of Planned Parenthood allegedly selling the organs and tissue of unborn babies. Wilmore trumpeted, "The good news comes amazingly from Texas....This is the best thing to come out of Houston since Beyonce....And the jurors didn't stop with clearing Planned Parenthood. They also went after the people trying to set up Planned Parenthood." He later likened the videos to the birther theory about President Obama. [video below]
The liberal host led his program with the clearing of Planned Parenthood and the indictment of the pro-life activists. Wilmore pointed out, "Remember those undercover videos taken at Planned Parenthood over the summer that supposedly showed them illegally selling fetus tissue? Well, it turned out not to be true, and Planned Parenthood has been cleared." His audience applauded and cheered this announcement. After dropping his "best thing to come out of Houston" line, the supposed comedian soon added, "Let me see if I got this right. The people who made those bull (expletive deleted) videos lying about Planned Parenthood selling body parts are the ones being charged."
Wilmore set up his likening of CMP's undercover videos to birtherism by complaining, "Now, I'm sad. No, I'll tell you why....Here's the thing about bull (expletive deleted): people remember it a lot more than they remember the truth. Right? So even though Planned Parenthood has been cleared, in most people's minds — or in some people's minds — they'll incorrectly be associated with" accounts of body parts of unborn babies.
The Comedy Central host then lamented that "the damage has been done — especially when people are predisposed to wanting to believe something. It's like when Donald Trump spread those bull (expletive deleted) lies about Obama being born in Kenya. Right? So then, Obama produces his long-form birth certificate, but it doesn't matter. Guys, this is true: twenty percent of people still think — still don't think he was born here."
Wilmore failed to grasp that the indictments of Daleiden and Merritt could set a "dangerous precedent" for undercover journalism, as outlined by correspondent Jan Crawford on Tuesday's CBS Evening News.
The transcript of the relevant portion of the January 26, 2016 edition of Comedy Central's The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore:
LARRY WILMORE: On this show, we spend a lot of time — I know — talking about miscarriages of justice. Well tonight, we have an honest-to goodness carriage of justice. The good news comes amazingly from Texas. Remember those undercover videos taken at Planned Parenthood over the summer that supposedly showed them illegally selling fetus tissue? Well, it turned out not to be true, and Planned Parenthood has been cleared. (audience cheers and applauds)
NORAH O'DONNELL (voice-over, from the January 26, 2016 edition of CBS This Morning): The footage prompted an outcry and a Houston grand jury investigation. But the panel, instead, cleared Planned Parenthood.
WILMORE: Guys, this is the best thing to come out of Houston since Beyonce (audience laughs); and, to a lesser extent, Solange. (audience laughs) Now — terrible joke. And the jurors didn't stop with clearing Planned Parenthood. They also went after the people trying to set up Planned Parenthood.
O'DONNELL: But the panel, instead, cleared Planned Parenthood and indicted the activists.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER (voice-over): Both face felony charges they tampered with a government record. [David] Daleiden is also charged with violating the state's prohibition on the purchase and sale of human organs.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: They could go to jail for this.
WILMORE: Hold on. Let me see if I got this right. The people who made those bull (expletive deleted) videos lying about Planned Parenthood selling body parts are the ones being charged. Let me see that carriage again. (audience cheers and applauds) Ah, I'm so happy. (audience laughs)
Now, I'm sad. No, I'll tell you why. Here's the thing, you guys. Here's the thing about bull (expletive deleted): people remember it a lot more than they remember the truth. Right? So even though Planned Parenthood has been cleared, in most people's minds — or in some people's minds — they'll incorrectly be associated with this.
BILL O'REILLY (from Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor): Selling the body parts of aborted babies
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN (from Fox Business Network's Lou Dobbs Tonight): They are taking babies apart.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2 (from Fox News Channel): Baby parts.
ANDREA TANTAROS (from Fox News Channel): Baby parts.
GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (from CNN): Baby parts.
REP. TRENT FRANKS, (R), ARIZONA (from congressional hearing): Little baby parts.
FORMER GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (from Fox News Channel presidential debate): Rip up their body parts and sell them like they're parts to a Buick.
O'REILLY: A dead baby's head.
CARLY FIORINA: (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (from CNN presidential debate): To harvest its brain.
WILMORE: No. They. Didn't. (audience laughs) So, the damage has been done — especially when people are predisposed to wanting to believe something. It's like when Donald Trump spread those bull (expletive deleted) lies about Obama being born in Kenya. Right? So then, Obama produces his long-form birth certificate, but it doesn't matter. Guys, this is true: twenty percent of people still think — still don't think he was born here. I don't have a joke for this. I just want (expletive deleted) to sink in. (audience laughs) This is the power of bull (expletive deleted), all right? In fact, this is another true number: 43 percent of Republicans still think he's a secret Muslim. Are you kidding me? Just because somebody likes to pray five times a day — ooh! (audience laughs) Did I do that?
