Posted on 03/28/2016 4:11:45 PM PDT by conservativejoy
NBC anchor Chuck Todd isn’t buying the National Enquirer hit piece on Ted Cruz. On the March 27 edition of Meet the Press, Todd commented that “there’s more evidence that ties Trump to planting the story, than there is to the story itself tying anything to Cruz.”
Todd also accused Trump of taking a page out of the “LBJ playbook.” Discussing the story with NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell, Todd retorted that “Trump is almost trying to borrow a page from the LBJ playbook, when he put out a statement on the National Enquirer – let me put it up here. He basically said, ‘I hope that story's not true,’ but also trying to fan the flames. Hey, look, the National Enquirer got it right on Edwards, got it right on O.J. Simpson, I hope they’re wrong about – and then he throws in ‘lyin’ Ted Cruz’. This is – this is a sort of ‘make him deny it’ type of LBJ thing.”
NBC has consistently done a superior job of pointing out the many reasons to doubt the Enquirer story. In her reporting on Friday's NBC Nightly News and Saturday's Today show, NBC correspondent Hallie Jackson went further than her ABC and CBS colleagues in alerting viewers to the tabloid’s utter lack of evidence, its past boosting of Trump, and the categorical denials of two of the women linked to Cruz in the story.
On ABC's This Week, fill-in moderator Jonathan Karl did not match Todd's explicit skepticism of the Enquirer piece, but twice pressed Trump himself on the story:
JONATHAN KARL: Do you categorically guarantee that nobody on your campaign, nobody tied to your campaign, had anything to do with this National Enquirer story?
TRUMP: Totally. I had nothing to do with it....
KARL: But let me ask you, this story, this that we see in the National Enquirer, this kind of rumor mongering, should this kind of thing just be off limits? Do you condemn this story?
TRUMP: I don't care. I mean really I don't care. The National Enquirer did a story. It was their story. It wasn't my story. It was about Ted Cruz. I have no idea whether it was right or not.
Overall, ABC's This Week gave the sleazy tabloid story 2 minutes, 47 seconds of airtime, compared with 1 minute, 36 seconds on Meet the Press.
CBS’s Face the Nation didn’t touch on the controversy at all, which is consistent with CBS News’s recent history of giving much less air time (2 minutes) to this story on the morning and evening new shows over the weekend than either ABC or NBC did (7 and 6 minutes, respectively).
Transcript from Meet the Press on March 27:
CHUCK TODD: Hallie, this all came in Cruz world a little bit – you know – my this escalated quickly.
HALLIE JACKSON: Yeah.
TODD: But I guess, sort of, what happened here? And how did this go from this, I guess, a Super PAC's digital ad get turned into what it got turned into.
JACKSON: Right. And to look at the progression, as you noted, of what we've seen this week, Tuesday we're talking about this terror attack and candidates' responses to it, Saturday we're talking about the National Enquirer and the tabloid cover story that's out there. I think that this shows Donald Trump is able to shift the conversation with a single tweet. And the tweet that came out retweeting this image of Heidi Cruz next to Melania trump was stunning to, I think, the Cruz campaign. I think Ted Cruz was stunned and very emotional about this even before you started talking about the Enquirer story. And, I think that one of the things that Ted Cruz has been hit on he seems a little bit rehearsed, sometimes, a little bit inauthentic, that's a knock against him. Right now, he is emotional, he’s mad, and he’s showing it.
...
TODD: But it is, and Andrea, final thing, what was amazing, Trump is almost trying to borrow a page from the LBJ playbook, when he put out a statement on the National Enquirer – let me put it up here. He basically said, I hope that story's not true, but also trying to fan the flames. Hey, look, the National Enquirer got it right on Edwards, got it right on OJ Simpson, I hope they’re wrong about – and then he throws in ‘lyin’ Ted Cruz’. This is – this is a sort of ‘make him deny it’ type of LBJ thing.
ANDREA MITCHELL: Exactly. And, of course, as Hallie’s been reporting, and as Katy's been reporting he’s got a very close relationship with the people of National Enquirer. They are really – and they’ve endorsed him, so –
TODD: There's more evidence that ties Trump to planting the story than there is to the story itself tying anything to Cruz.
MITCHELL: Like, I hope this is not true, and then tell me everything about it. It has been a remarkable, extraordinary period and, as I say, at a time when he should be vulnerable on foreign policy.
I don’t believe Roberts (or any SC Justice) would say such a thing.
“Cruz beats Hillary in the polls and Donald loses..badly.”
That is hysterically laughable. HOW could a guy who is barely alive beat a woman who could beat a man kicking crap of him.
HOW could that happen? WHERE would those voters come from?
Hillary cannot inspire a riot with free food and the Democrat turnout has collapsed. But you can bet your bippy that the statistical sampling uses 2012 turnout numbers to construct their data.
Are you not able to figure out what they do to get these results? Many people can explain it to you.
But tell me how when T>C, H>T can C>H? Mathematically and statistically impossible. Let’s have a explanation of HOW that could happen and WHO would believe such nonsense.
“...we have had Obama for two terms.” That is the only truth in that entire post.
Any fool can see that Trump is HIGHLY disciplined, very well informed (having dealt with politicians and businessmen across the whole world successfully for decades.)
The people that have worked for him (or married him for that matter) are incredibly loyal to him and support his run for office. His family also shows he is nothing like the Democratmedia crap Cruzers believe and rely upon.
Cruz, on the other hand, is a Senator without a single accomplishment in that office. Just as much a deadhead as Hussein.
If he were any of the LIES you post that would make your guy look even worse than he does since he is being crushed by someone who “...is emotionally unstable, is dangerously undisciplined and uninformed on the issues.”
Do you have a clue as to just how insane your statement is?
But tell me how when T>C, H>T can C>H? Mathematically and statistically impossible. Let’s have a explanation of HOW that could happen and WHO would believe such nonsense.
Well you asked, so I’ll answer.
In a mathematical sense, you’re discussing different fields. If all statements were made discussing the same field, e.g., Real Numbers, it would be mathematically impossible for T>C and H>T to imply C>H.
But here we have T(r)>C(r) and H(all)>T(all), in which case no implication regarding C(all)?H(all) can be made.
Those would be the ones attacking the patriots supporting Trump. They ignore all the others realizing that their pose no threat to Leftism.
BTW Goebbels did not create the Brownshirts, try Ernst Rohm. But that is about as accurate as one can expect from you clowns.
Trump actually CAN unite America as his massive rallies show.
This is crap. Where is the category which answered “Huh?” probably about half those polled.
You are telling us that the man who has DOMINATED the entire political scene for months on end is supported because of Twitter Wars? Are you being deliberately stupid or just being ignorant. Tens of thousands of supporters show up knowing that their rallies are going to be attacked and themselves endangered for exercising their constitutional right because of Twitter. You guys are becoming more deranged by the post. It is rather pitiful.
He has beaten ALL when ALL have attacked him and it will be much easier with Mrs Cosby when the RNC is at least neutral and at best helpful.
HOW could Cruz possibly win? The only enthusiasm for him is in a tiny group of “conservatives” NO ONE ELSE.
When you have a head you need a hat.
Where do the votes come from to give Cruz the nomination?
Where do the votes come from to give him the presidency? HINT - nowhere.
LBJ - democrat vote stealer
Cruz’s denial sounds a lot like Clinton’s denial.
Trump has nothing to do with this story. But the media, extremely afraid of Trump, is doing their part to stop him. After that they’ll stop Cruz.
Cruz did a great thing by winning Heller, be fair.
Why isn’t the press asking Rubio about this?
That is the first part of the problem but when the important part is figured in the impossibility remains. Since the r is more conservative than the all it is even more impossible for C>H since C is considered more conservative than Trump.
Thanks for playing you helped make my argument even stronger.
“Why isn’t the press asking Rubio about this?”
Good question at least it should make the effort. We both know he would deny everything but still.
Heidi Cruz is cancelling campaign events in New Jersey and Wisconsin. Withdrawal coming next?
Polls taken between Hillary and Trump disagree with you. Now you can ignore them you could pretend they don’t exist you can do whatever you want but that still doesn’t change the fact that every poll shows Hillary beating Trump
And if you can take a pause from your name-calling and irrational post the fact is his negatives are higher than Hillary’s. Again you can deny it,you can ignore it you can pretend ,that it doesn’t exist but it is a fact.
And that higher negative rating does come from the way he’s conducted himself
“Boomerang.”
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Yep, blowback is hell. It will be interesting to see the vote returns next Tuesday.
Not thinking that is coming, although have know people to deny even with video of the action. Strange world we live in. The Bible does mention discernment.
It’s because there is no evidence. Chick Todd much like Freepers believe what he does with nary a shred of empirical observance
It’s a hunch that suits his narrative which is that as a leftist media hack he fears Trump in many ways
Who on earth uses the keyword “anger trolling”
Hilarious
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