MSNBC host Chuck Todd has become the next target of the wrath of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.
The host of NBC’s “Meet The Press” distanced himself from his mainstream media colleagues on Wednesday in condemning the New York Democrat for comparing U.S. detention centers near the southern border to concentration camps.
(Video: Twitter/Meet the Press)
“You can call our government’s detention of migrants many things, depending on how you see it. It’s a stain on our nation maybe, a necessary evil to others, a deal with untenable situation perhaps. But do you know what you can’t call it,” he said on MSNBC’s “Meet The Press Daily” on Wednesday, airing a video clip of Ocasio-Cortez’s controversial comments from Monday.
The freshman lawmaker sparked fiery backlash after making the false claim that detention facilities operated by the U.S. on the southern border are like concentration camps, setting up days of follow-up exchanges debating the inaccuracy of her claims and the controversial argument over the difference between “concentration camps” and “death camps.”
While Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer called on the 29-year-old lawmaker to apologize to “every Jew on the planet,” others on the left seemed more than happy to provide cover for Ocasio-Cortez. But on Wednesday, Todd went out on a limb against her narrative and found himself in the Democrat’s crosshairs.
“After being criticized, Ocasio-Cortez tried to make a distinction between concentration camps and Nazi death camps, where the industrialized mass slaughter of the Holocaust occurred,” he said.
“Fair enough. But Congresswoman, tens of thousands were also brutalized, tortured, starved, and ultimately died in concentration camps — camps like Dachau,” Todd continued. “If you want to criticize the shameful treatment of people at our southern border, fine. You’ll have plenty of company. But be careful comparing them to Nazi concentration camps — because they’re not at all comparable in the slightest.”
Todd went on to slam Democrat lawmakers for not condemning Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks because they “don’t want to get criticized on Twitter,” using New York Congressman Jerry Nadler’s tweet as an example.
“Jerry Nadler surely knows migrant detainment camps are not the same as concentration camps. So why didn’t he just say that?” Todd wondered. “Why are we so sheepish calling out people we agree with politically these days?”
“Are we really so ensconced in our political bubbles, liberal versus conservative that we cannot talk about right versus wrong anymore?” he continued.
“Some things are bigger than partisanship. Or at least they used to be. And in the interim, the crux of what’s truly at stake is lost: What is this country going to do about what’s happening at the border in this humanitarian crisis? We’ll get to that at some point I guess after we have this debate,” Todd said, while acknowledging that Ocasio-Cortez “cares deeply about what’s happening at the border.”
“But she just did the people there a tremendous disservice by distracting from their plight,” he concluded. “She said she didn’t use those words lightly. Well, neither did I.”
But the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist fired back at Todd Wednesday, calling his argument “unfortunate,” while characteristically not apologizing for any of her previous comments.
Well, @chucktodd – the fact that you slipped in “Nazi” when I never said that is pretty unfortunate.
Almost as unfortunate as the fact that you spent this whole time w/o discussing DHS freezers, “dog pounds,” missing children, & human rights abuses that uphold use of this term. https://t.co/1eNuW1ZR0f
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 19, 2019
Twitter users reacted to her attack.
Ocasio-Cortez is lying, again
AOC specifically referenced “Never Again” in her Instagram video, which is a direct reference to the Holocaust, which was carried out by Nazis pic.twitter.com/AyMAAWNdcE
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) June 20, 2019
More attacks on the media by AOC. Democracy dies in the void between her ears.
— Bruce Bigg (@brucebigg) June 20, 2019
Being an elected official should come with some sort of ‘maturity’ test, which you would absolutely fail.
Grow up. :)
— The?FOO (@PolitiBunny) June 20, 2019
She’s a child that somehow convinced idiots in NY to elect her to congress. Doesn’t change the fact that she’s still a child with no real life experience.
— DanCamm (@Dan_Camm) June 20, 2019
Eating themselves from the inside out. She doesn’t get that @chucktodd is trying to save the Democrat Party. He knows what a lot of Democrats, and people in media know which is that she is hurting them, as is the very left wing voting block. https://t.co/5OlO4tT4K2
— Mahgdalen Rose 🌹 (@MahgdalenRose) June 20, 2019
Todd’s departure from the left’s cheerleading of Ocasio-Cortez earned him some praise on Twitter.
Much props to him. The far left is going to absolutely DESTROY him for this, so this took a lot of courage. I may have to start following him again.
— Cory M (@IToldYouMonsoon) June 20, 2019
Serious props to Chuck Todd. This is how every journalist and rational person should have reacted to AOC’s comments. https://t.co/k0KA1ENL7X
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) June 20, 2019
While some on the left felt betrayed by his stance:
I will not be watching Chuck again, not that I ever did that much anyway. He has a serious case of MYOPIA….
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) June 19, 2019
Many Twitter users upset with Todd’s stance opined the days of former “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert, who died 11 years ago.
.@MeetThePress I honestly don’t know why you STILL have Chuck Todd as “moderator”. @NBCNews keeps him on for some bizarre reason. I haven’t watched in years because of him. He refuses to call Republicans out when they lie to his face. And now this.
Tim Russert deserved better.
— John Leonori (@Demiurge_33) June 20, 2019
.Tim Russert is turning in his grave at this nonsense. Come on MSNBC… ?
I remember when Meet the Press was actually a show to watch. #ChuckTodd pic.twitter.com/RBMECZbIp4— #MuteRKelly (@MizKpoto) June 20, 2019
MTP under Russert was the place where our elected reps were held to account for their words, actions, beliefs, and votes.
Under Gregory it struggled in this premise.
Chuck just torpedoes it regularly. He’s just a poor excuse, a lazy stenographer.— Trogdor (@DoogieSlap) June 20, 2019
Tim Russert would never be a part of what msnbc has become. He also would have ripped AOC a new one for such an ignorant statement
— Dagny Taggart (@DagneyTaggart3) June 20, 2019
Chuck Todd makes me long for the days of Tim Russert. This was a colossal mistake and mistakes in journalism matter. https://t.co/tdciDxiEq8
— Laura Stricker (@Peacheslolo2) June 20, 2019
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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