Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog
A couple of weeks ago, after it was revealed that reports of NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace being targeted by someone who hung a noose in his garage turned out to be a false alarm, most national news outlets who had reported the initial story did the responsible thing and updated their viewers on the matter.
But several MSNBC hosts stood out as they did not bother to make that critical update, leaving their viewers to continue believing Wallace was targeted with a hate crime over his liberal political views.
Andrea Mitchell especially stood out for giving attention to the story on two different days, totaling almost seven minutes, but then quietly dropping it after the twist that no longer fit her liberal political agenda.
But, two weeks later, Mitchell has finally admitted to the FBI finding that Wallace was not the targeted, but she only made this admission while revisiting the story to chastise President Donald Trump for tweeting about it as he suggested the liberal NASCAR driver should give an apology over the false alarm.
On Monday's Andrea Mitchell Reports, the MSNBC host intoned:
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ANDREA MITCHELL: Today the President continues to play to the most extreme factions of his political base, tweeting an attack against Bubba Wallace -- the only black sponsored driver in NASCAR.
Mitchell continued:
The President asking, quote, "Has Bubba Wallace apologized to all those great NASCAR drivers and officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, and were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another hoax?"
Undermining President Trump, she then added:
Well, it wasn't. Actually, Wallace and NASCAR have replied in full in the last days and weeks that the rope found in his garage was, unlike all the others, shaped like a noose. The only difference was it had been there for a while, and was not found by the FBI to be aimed specifically at Bubba Wallace.
Tyler Reddick, another driver, tweeting today to the President: "We don't need an apology. We did what was right, and we will do just fine without your support." The President clearly deciding this weekend, though, that an attack on critics of the Confederate monuments is a big appeal to his base during this holiday weekend's speeches at Mt. Rushmore and in Washington.
On her Tuesday show, she even brought up the issue again:
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ANDREA MITCHELL: President Trump stoking controversy in the sports world, though, first lashing out at NASCAR's only full-time black driver, Bubba Wallace. Wallace responding now on Twitter, saying, "Always deal with the hate being thrown at you with love," "even when it's hate from the POTUS."
The star driver's post coming after a tweet by the President calling on Wallace to apologize for what Mr. Trump is calling "just another hoax." This after the FBI determined last month that Wallace was not the specific target of a hate crime when a noose was found in his garage at the Talladega Super Speedway, the only noose there.
She soon brought aboard liberal columnist Jemele Hill to discuss Trump's comments about both Wallace and the controversy over the possible renaming of the Washington Redskins:
Also on Tuesday, Brian Williams -- another MSNBC anchor who failed to update his viewers a couple of weeks ago that that noose controversy was a false alarm -- followed Mitchell's lead in finally updating viewers now that he can try to use the issue to bash President Trump:
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BRIAN WILLIAMS: And as our country grapples with the most devastating public health crisis in over a century, the President is showing his eagerness to talk about just about anything else. So he has returned to his most reliable tactic from 2016 -- that would be culture wars and race. Just yesterday, the President weighed in on the story surrounding the noose that NASCAR officials found in a garage stall assigned to Bubba Wallace in Talladega, Alabama.
Bubba Wallace is the only black driver in the premier circuit on NASCAR. In a tweet, the President demanded that Wallace apologize, falsely accusing him of playing a part in a hoax, and he slammed NASCAR's decision to ban the Confederate flag at its events.
Williams then filled in his viewers on details he should have told them two weeks ago:
To be clear, Bubba Wallace has nothing to apologize for -- it was NASCAR and not Wallace that discovered that the garage door rope in the shape of a noose unmistakably -- and it was the FBI that determined it predated his assignment to that Talladega garage.
Andrea Mitchell Reports was sponsored by Liberty Mutual insurance and Infiniti auto dealer. Their contact information is linked.
Relevant transcripts follow:
MSNBC
Andrea Mitchell Reports
July 6, 2020
12:16 p.m.
ANDREA MITCHELL: Today the President continues to play to the most extreme factions of his political base, tweeting an attack against Bubba Wallace -- the only black sponsored driver in NASCAR. The President asking, quote, "Has Bubba Wallace apologized to all those great NASCAR drivers and officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, and were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another hoax?"
Well, it wasn't. Actually, Wallace and NASCAR have replied in full in the last days and weeks that the rope found in his garage was, unlike all the others, shaped like a noose. The only difference was it had been there for a while, and was not found by the FBI to be aimed specifically at Bubba Wallace.
Tyler Reddick, another driver, tweeting today to the President: "We don't need an apology. We did what was right, and we will do just fine without your support." The President clearly deciding this weekend, though, that an attack on critics of the Confederate monuments is a big appeal to his base during this holiday weekend's speeches at Mt. Rushmore and in Washington.
(...)
What a way to celebrate the nation's birthday and bring the nation together. Peter (Alexander), the attacks continuing today -- the Bubba Wallace -- why would he go after Bubba Wallace personally with that dig today?
(...)
MSNBC
Andrea Mitchell Reports
July 7, 2020
12:25 p.m.
ANDREA MITCHELL: President Trump stoking controversy in the sports world, though, first lashing out at NASCAR's only full-time black driver, Bubba Wallace. Wallace responding now on Twitter, saying, "Always deal with the hate being thrown at you with love," "even when it's hate from the POTUS."
The star driver's post coming after a tweet by the President calling on Wallace to apologize for what Mr. Trump is calling "just another hoax." This after the FBI determined last month that Wallace was not the specific target of a hate crime when a noose was found in his garage at the Talladega Super Speedway, the only noose there.
The President also weighing in on a long-simmering debate that is now coming to a head, of course, over those now controversial team names, tweeting: "They name teams out of strength, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises" -- this is the President speaking -- "look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct."
Well, not exactly. Joining me now is Jemele Hill, contributing writer for The Atlantic, host of the Spotified podcast, Jemele Hill Is Unbothered. I don't know if you're unbothered today about all of this. The President talking today about all of these teams. This has long been an issue, of course, in Washington, and Dan Snyder, the owner, has said he would never even consider it, but now he is because of economic concerns. FedEx -- the naming sponsor there at FedEx Field -- is asking for it to happen, and others -- Nike and others, PepsiCo -- joining in.
JEMELE HILL, THE ATLANTIC: Yeah, I mean, look, the President, I guess to stick with sports analogies, is just going to a playbook and resorting to plays that he's used many times. When in doubt, he tries to stoke and provoke the most racial tension possible. He has now sicced his base on Bubba Wallace who did nothing wrong -- Bubba Wallace who did not even report that a noose was found in his garage. He was told by a NASCAR official -- they investigated, they found he was not a target of a hate crime. And what exactly is he apologizing for?
MSNBC
MSNBC Live
July 7, 2020
3:21 p.m.
BRIAN WILLIAMS: And as our country grapples with the most devastating public health crisis in over a century, the President is showing his eagerness to talk about just about anything else. So he has returned to his most reliable tactic from 2016 -- that would be culture wars and race. Just yesterday, the President weighed in on the story surrounding the noose that NASCAR officials found in a garage stall assigned to Bubba Wallace in Talladega, Alabama.
Bubba Wallace is the only black driver in the premier circuit on NASCAR. In a tweet, the President demanded that Wallace apologize, falsely accusing him of playing a part in a hoax, and he slammed NASCAR's decision to ban the Confederate flag at its events. To be clear, Bubba Wallace has nothing to apologize for -- it was NASCAR and not Wallace that discovered that the garage door rope in the shape of a noose unmistakably -- and it was the FBI that determined it predated his assignment to that Talladega garage.
. Duncan Schroeder
