Nicolle Wallace issued a disclaimer to MSNBC viewers that Trump’s comments contained lies and smears before she showed video of the president.
Video:
Wallace said:
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We will show you his outlandish claims made on the South Lawn of the White House. But instead of waiting until after you hear those remarks from the president to fact check them, we want to warn you in advance that his meandering comments include lies about the nature of the surveillance of his campaign as well as smears on the former FBI director Jim Comey. Also a key witness in the Mueller investigation. Attacking Comey, we understand, is the Trump legal team’s entire strategy for defending the president in the obstruction of justice investigation, which hinges, at least in part, on Comey’s firing. We also want to tell you his new bumper sticker spygate is also based on a lie. There is no evidence that anyone was spying on the Trump campaign. A counterintelligence investigation was underway.
And for the president who still doesn’t seem to know what that means, let’s try this. The good guys, American law enforcement agencies, were closely watching the bad guys, American adversaries like the Russians. The reason Trump’s campaign is in the mix is because they ended up in close enough cahoots with Russians to raise suspicions. With those facts in mind, here’s the president’s performance today.
More journalists should cover Trump the way Wallace did
It is important that viewers know before they see and hear the tape of Trump speak that what they are about to hear is a lie. The best way to negate Trump’s lies is to preface them with the truth. Don’t give Trump the unchecked platform to spread his false information. Nicolle Wallace didn’t wait until after the fact. She called out Trump before playing his comments and made sure that her viewers didn’t fall for Trump’s tricks.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
