Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog
In spite of recent revelations that it was the Democratic-controlled D.C. police department and not Federal law enforcement that teargassed protesters near Lafayette Park last year, CNN host Brianna Keilar on Tuesday did not take the chance to ask D.C.'s mayor, Muriel Bowser, if she had an responsibility for the action as the Democrat appeared on the show as a guest.
Not only that, but Keilar allowed her Muriel repeat debunked claims that the protesters were cleared just to make way for President Donald Trump to stage a photo-op.
Keilar began the eight-minute segment by discussing Bowser's support for the Democratic party's attempt to federalize the country's election system, and the issue of making D.C. a state. After briefly covering Mayor Bowser's efforts to get D.C. residents to get vaccinated for COVID, the CNN host brought up the issue of Lafayette Park, spending less than a minute on it:
There was a judge, Mayor, who dismissed lawsuits from Black Lives Matter demonstrators. These were lawsuits against Donald Trump and his administration for the clearing of protesters at Lafayette Square last year. They say that there's little evidence of a conspiracy. And I wonder how you react to that.
In spite of the recent report by the Interior Department concluding that the decision was made to clear the protesters to put up a fence and prevent the same nighttime violence that had been perpetrated by rioters on several previous nights, Mayor Bowser responded by repeating misinformation:
I actually haven't read that decision or heard something about it. I think you know how I feel about Federal law enforcement and the United States military being used for a photo op at Lafayette Square. I thought that was a disgraceful act of presidential power that should never happen in the United States of America.
Keilar made no effort to correct her Democratic guest as she simply responded by wrapping up: "Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C., thank you so much for being with us this morning."
The CNN host did not ask about the fact that the D.C. police department recently admitted to using teargas near Lafayette Park on the same evening, which was corroborated by the Interior Department.
Keilar had also notably given a commentary a few weeks ago in which she still tried to blame President Trump for the teargassing before the show more recently reluctantly acknowledged the real reason the protesters were cleared.
This episode of CNN's New Day was sponsored in part by Fast Signs. Their contact information is linked.
Transcript follows:
CNN's New Day
June 22, 2021
8:02 a.m. Eastern
BRIANNA KEILAR: So I know that you will be testifying today on the Hill, but first I want to talk about this voting rights bill that we're going to see on the Hill that we are expecting to go down. This will be a procedural vote. It will need 60 votes, and it is expected ultimately not to fail. I wonder what you think about -- or it's expected to fail. I wonder what you think about President Obama saying what he said in a warning of a reverse in democracy.
(BOWSER)
What do you think about, you know, writ large what you are seeing across the country? Certainly, I know it's something that you look at as the mayor of a city that has so many voters of color in it. But what do you think about what you're seeing Republicans expected to be unified in voting no on this voting rights bill as you see laws passed in states across the country, based on a lie about the election, that will have the effect of limiting voting access for voters of color?
(BOWSER)
I am a Washington, D.C., resident myself. And I will tell you, having lived in a number of other places, it is -- it feels weird to not have a voting member of Congress who represents you or a Senator, but I will also say that, you know, despite this being the issue that comes up over and over again -- and you're going to testify about this today -- it feels like it never changes. And I wonder, you know, what you're going to say today about that.
(BOWSER)
I want to ask you about something you did this weekend that was pretty fascinating, the response you got. You spent Juneteenth out knocking on doors in Washington, D.C., with Anthony Fauci who was greeted, along with you, as a bit of a celebrity. And you were targeting the Anacostia neighborhood, which is a particularly disadvantaged neighborhood in Washington, D.C., as you were trying to encourage people to get vaccinated. And I thought looking at the responses that you got, it was pretty interesting. Tell us -- you know, there was some disinformation that you came up against as you were talking to people trying to encourage them to get vaccinated.
(BOWSER)
You did have someone, according to the Washington Post, who said something akin to, "You know the shot does other things." Which we know it doesn't, all right? We know some people have some side effects of varying degrees. I had none, having my shot, other than my husband had a few. But we're very glad to be vaccinated. You know, how do you combat that in your community -- people who have ideas about the vaccine that just aren't true?
(BOWSER)
There was a judge, Mayor, who dismissed lawsuits from Black Lives Matter demonstrators. These were lawsuits against Donald Trump and his administration for the clearing of protesters at Lafayette Square last year. They say that there's little evidence of a conspiracy. And I wonder how you react to that.
BOWSER: I actually haven't read that decision or heard something about it. I think you know how I feel about Federal law enforcement and the United States military being used for a photo op at Lafayette Square. I thought that was a disgraceful act of presidential power that should never happen in the United States of America.
KEILAR: Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C., thank you so much for being with us this morning.
