Lawrence O’Donnell Says It’s ‘A Violation of Sanity’ To Ask Trump Backers for Reactions to Crazy Comments
Lawrence O’Donnell had a message for his fellow news television hosts on Thursday night, and it’s one that won’t be heeded.
Hours earlier, President Donald Trump kick-started another newscycle, this time by suggesting that six Democratic lawmakers should be executed.
On Tuesday, those lawmakers – all of whom served in the military or the intelligence services – released a video telling Americans currently serving in those capacities, “You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders.”
The Democrats in the video are: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ); Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI); Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO); Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA); Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH); Rep Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA).
About 48 hours later, Trump erupted on Truth Social.
“It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL,” Trump claimed on Truth Social. “Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand – We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET.”
In a subsequent post, the president wrote, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Additionally, he reposted a post that said, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”
On The Last Word on MS NOW, O’Donnell played a clip of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) answering reporters’ questions about Trump’s comments.
“The words that the president chose are not the ones that I would use, ok?” Johnson said. “Obviously, I don’t think that this is um, these are crimes punishable by death or any of that, ok?”
O’Donnell cut the clip and said, “The speaker, being a politician, then added, quote, ‘Sometimes, he uses heated rhetoric, ok? But do any of you agree that that’s appropriate, that they should be telling young members of the military to defy orders?'”
The host objected to Johnson’s characterization and said that it is “a violation of sanity” to ask for reactions from Trump supporters on such matters:
No one told members of the military to defy orders. They told members of the military that they should not follow illegal orders. And every Republican and every Rupert Murdoch-owned propaganda outlet that tries to smear those Democrats with the accusation that they told the American military not to follow orders is lying, and they know they are lying. They are consciously lying about what those Democrats said.
And that is the only way that those liars know how to respond to a situation like this. It’s why it is a complete waste of time and a violation of sanity to bring Trump defenders onto television shows on subjects like this, because they will all lie and claim that the Democrats told the military not to follow orders. They will all leave out the word “illegal.” They will all lie. That is how they do it.
Watch above via MS NOW.
