By Joseph A. Wulfsohn
Fox News.com
October 14, 2020
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., accused CNN anchor
Wolf Blitzer Tuesday of being "an apologist ... for the Republican
position" during a stunning interview in which she grew visibly
frustrated with "The Situation Room" anchor's questions.
The fireworks began when Blitzer asked Pelosi why she "won't
accept the president's latest [coronavirus] stimulus offer."
"I hope you'll ask the same question of the Republicans on why
they don't want to meet the needs of the American people,"
Pelosi responded. "But let me say to those people because all of
my colleagues -- we represent these people ... and their needs
are not addressed in the president's proposal. So when you say
to me, 'Why don't you accept theirs?' Why don't they accept ours?"
Blitzer interjected, telling Pelosi that Americans "really need the
money now" and quoted Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who recently
said, "People in need can't wait until February. $1.8 trillion is
significant & more than twice the Obama stimulus ... Make a deal
& put the ball in McConnell court."
"So what do you say to Ro Khanna?" Blitzer asked.
"What I say to you is I don't know why you're always an apologist
-- and many of your colleagues [are] apologists for the Republican
position," Pelosi fired back, adding "Ro Khanna, that's nice, that
sn't what we're going to do and nobody's waiting til February."
The contentious exchange continued when Blitzer pressed Pelosi
again about Trump's $1.8 trillion proposal, asking her, "why not
work out a deal with him and don't let the perfect, as they say
here in Washington, be the enemy of the good?"
"Well, I will not let the wrong be the enemy of the right," Pelosi
fired back.
"What's wrong with $1.8 trillion?" Blitzer asked.
"You know what, do you have any idea what the difference is
between the spending that they have in their bill and what we
have in our bill?" Pelosi asked before ticking off a list of her
issues with the proposal.
"That is precisely why, Madame Speaker ... it's so important right
now," Blitzer responded "Yesterday, I spoke to [former Democratic
presidential candidate] Andrew Yang, who says the same thing. It's
not everything you want but there's a lot there."
"But you know what? Honest to God!" Pelosi complained. "You
really- I cannot get over it because Andrew Yang, he's lovely.
Ro Khanna, he's lovely. They are not negotiating this situation.
They have no idea of the particulars. They have no idea of what
the language is here ..
The tension carried on until the very end, when Blitzer attempted
to wrap up the interview after the speaker accused him of
"defending the administration all this time."
"We'll leave it on the note that you're not right on this, Wolf, and
I hate to say that to you," Pelosi told the CNN anchor. "But I feel
confident about it and I feel confident about my colleagues and
I feel confident in my [committee] chairs."
Blitzer responded, "It's not about me, it's about millions
of Americans who can't put food on the table, who can't
pay the rent, and who are having trouble getting by."
"And we represent them, we represent them," Pelosi repeated
several times over Blitzer.
"As we say, don't let perfect be the enemy of the good," Blitzer
reiterated.
"It is nowhere near perfect ... we're not even close to the good,"
Pelosi shot back. "Thank you for your sensitivity to our constituents'
needs."
"I am sensitive to them because I see them on the street begging
for food, begging for money," the anchor said.
"Have you fed them?" Pelosi blurted out. "We feed them,
we feed them."
Tuesday was not the first time the speaker verbally attacked
a journalist during an interview.
In August, Pelosi lashed out at "PBS NewsHour" anchor Judy
Woodruff, accusing her of being an "advocate" for Republicans
during another heated negotiating period on coronavirus relief.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/pelosi-lashes-out-cnn-wolf-blitzer
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.