AFRICAN-AMERICANS AFTER THE
MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD.
>> SO, JAKE SHERMAN, I WANT TO
GET YOU IN ON THIS.
THE WHITE HOUSE ALSO HAS THIS
EFFORT, ONGOING EFFORT, TO
DISCREDIT DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, AND
IT REACHED A NEW LEVEL
YESTERDAY.
NBC NEWS FIRST REPORTED ON THE
EFFORT A FEW DAYS AGO THAT A
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL GAVE AN
OPPOSITION-STYLE RESEARCH MEMO
TO NBC AND OTHER OUTLETS,
LISTING NEARLY A DOZEN PAST
COMMENTS BY HIM, SOME TAKEN OUT
OF CONTEXT, THAT THE OFFICIALS
SAID HAD ULTIMATELY PROVEN
ERRONEOUS.
WE SHOWED YOU THIS ATTEMPT BY
THE PRESS SECRETARY ON MONDAY TO
DISMISS THE REPORTS.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> THERE IS NO OPPOSITION
RESEARCH BEING DUMPED TO
REPORTERS.
WE WERE ASKED A VERY SPECIFIC
QUESTION BY THE "WASHINGTON
POST," AND THAT QUESTION WAS,
PRESIDENT TRUMP NOTED THAT
DR. FAUCI HAD MADE SOME
MISTAKES, AND WE PROVIDED A
DIRECT ANSWER TO WHAT WAS A
DIRECT QUESTION.
DR. FAUCI AND THE PRESIDENT HAVE
ALWAYS HAD A VERY GOOD WORKING
RELATIONSHIP.
>> ALL RIGHT.
NOW THERE’S A DIRECT ATTACK.
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TOP TRADE
ADVISER, PETER NAVARRO, IS
CRITICIZING FAUCI IN A NEW OP ED
FOR "USA TODAY," CLAIMING THAT
FAUCI HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY
WRONG, WHILE ADVISING ON THE
CORONAVIRUS.
NAVARRO WRITES IN PART, "DR.
ANTHONY FAUCI HAS A GOOD BEDSIDE
MANNER WITH THE PUBLIC, BUT HE
HAS BEEN WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING
I HAVE INTERACTED WITH HIM ON.
NOW FAUCI SAYS A FALLING
MORTALITY RATE DOESN’T MATTER
WHEN IT’S THE SINGLE MOST
IMPORTANT STATISTIC TO HELP
GUIDE THE PACE OF OUR ECONOMIC
REOPENING.
THE LOWER THE MORTALITY RATE,
THE FASTER AND MORE WE CAN OPEN.
SO WHEN YOU ASK ME WHETHER I
LISTEN TO DR. FAUCI’S ADVICE, MY
ANSWER IS ONLY WITH SKEPTICISM
AND CAUTION."
UM, JAKE SHERMAN, WITH A
PRESIDENT WHO LIES BY THE
MINUTE, I FIND THIS TO BE
REPUGNANT ON SO MANY LEVELS.
AND ALSO, HAVING WATCHED
DR. FAUCI AT THE BRIEFINGS, WHEN
THEY USED TO ACTUALLY HAVE THEM,
TO TRY TO INFORM THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE AS TO WHERE THEY TRULY
STAND WITH THE PANDEMIC, HE
SEEMED TO BE COMPLETELY ON POINT
WITH THE SCIENCE AND WHAT NEEDED
TO BE DONE TO MITIGATE.
IT SEEMS TO ME THE PRESIDENT IS
LASHING OUT AT HIM.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WHO CARES
WHAT PETER NAVARRO IS LISTENING
TO HIM?
PETER NAVARRO’S A TRADE ADVISER.
I’M NOT EVEN SURE WHY IT’S
OPERATIVE THAT PETER NAVARRO IS
TAKING HIS ADVICE OR NOT TAKING
HIS ADVICE.
THAT’S THE NUMBER ONE POINT.
AND THE SECOND POINT IS, I THINK
JONATHAN WOULD BACK ME UP ON
THIS -- THE WHITE HOUSE IS
PEDDLING OPPOSITION RESEARCH ON
ANTHONY FAUCI.
RESPONDING TO A QUESTION WITH A
PREPARED OPPOSITION RESEARCH
DOCUMENT IS, IN FACT, PEDDLING
OPPOSITION RESEARCH.
THE WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO
PLENTY OF QUESTIONS OTHERWISE
WITHOUT OFFERING A TRAIL OF
QUOTES THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE
COME TRUE.
THAT’S NUMBER TWO.
NUMBER THREE, THE WHITE HOUSE
CLEARS OP EDS.
PETER NAVARRO WOULDN’T JUST GO
OUT AND WRITE AN OP ED WITHOUT
EITHER DIRECT OR IMPLICIT
APPROVAL FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION.
I MEAN, THIS IS JUST -- I THINK
WE’RE ALL LOSING SIGHT, WE,
MEANING THE GENERAL PUBLIC,
ABOUT JUST HOW BIZARRE THIS IS.
THIS IS AN ADVISER TO THE
PRESIDENT SAYING HE’S NOT
LISTENING TO ANOTHER ADVISER OF
THE PRESIDENT.
IT’S TRULY BIZARRE.
AND AS WE SAID IN "PLAYBOOK"
THIS MORNING, THIS WHITE HOUSE
SEEMS LIKE IT’S IN THE MIDDLE OF
A FEVER DREAM AND JUST CONFUSED,
LISTLESS, RESTLESS, UNAWARE OF
ITS SURROUNDINGS, CAN’T FIND A
MESSAGE, TRYING TO THROW THINGS
AT THE WALL.
I MEAN, A SENIOR ADVISER TO THE
CAMPAIGN THIS MORNING TWEETED,
"MY ONE QUESTION FOR JOE BIDEN
IS WHERE’S HUNTER BIDEN?"
IF THAT’S WHAT THEY THINK IN THE
MIDDLE OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND A
MASSIVE PANDEMIC, IF THAT’S WHAT
THEY THINK IS GOING TO CARRY THE