Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) tried to blame the media for the Russia scandal, but MSNBC hosts Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle called out Cramer for using GOP talking points and got him to admit that he doesn’t know what they cover because he has not seen their show.
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Cramer claimed that the media is obsessed with the Russia scandal and said, “It’s an unhealthy obsession when ninety percent of a newscast is focused on that when there are plenty of other things going on.”
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Ali Velshi replied, “Sir, do you ever watch what we do? Do you know what Stephanie and I concentrate on a daily basis? We talk about tax reform. We talk about healthcare, so you’re issuing Republican talking points right now. Can we have a conversation just from a legislator to two journalists right now? Can we do that?”
Cramer admitted, “Sure. We can. In fairness to you, I don’t see a lot of TV in the afternoon. I do watch Morning Joe in the morning.”
Rep. Cramer blamed the media for the Russia scandal, but when pressed, he admitted that he didn’t know what the media coverage was. He was repeating his talking points.
The problem that was exposed in this interview was that Cramer wouldn’t admit that Russia was behind the election hacking. He also parroted Trump’s attacks on the press.
Republicans aren’t going to stand up to Trump. They are going to try to defend him by using White House talking points. The Republican Party thinks that the path to political success is to fight the media instead of the Democrats.
Velshi and Ruhle exposed the fatal flaw in this strategy by fighting back with facts.
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
