Bill O’Reilly did his best to try to dismiss the gravity of Donald Trump’s Russia scandal. But Bob Woodward, no liberal journalist, delivered some very stern warnings about the dangers of not dealing with it adequately.
After the departure of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, O’Reilly tried to characterize lingering questions about Trump’s ties to Russia as hysteria. “It’s all crazy speculation and that’s what we’re getting into in this country. Nobody knows the facts!” O’Reilly said. Of course, he knew Trump was likely to be watching.
Woodward agreed that there is “a lot of speculation and a lot of nonsense.” But he added, “So let’s get the facts.” He advised the White House to issue a substantive report telling the public “what really happened.” He noted that while the FBI and Congress are investigating, those investigations would likely take months or longer.
O’Reilly interrupted. “I think we’d all like to know what really happened,” he claimed, were it not for what he called “unintended consequences.” But the only “unintended consequence” O'Reilly came up with was the possibility that Trump might make an enemy or a scapegoat out of Flynn. As if that would be more important than allaying concerns our president and others are Russian collaborators and traitors!
“I’m not saying they shouldn’t” O’Reilly argued. “I’m just giving you the logical reason why they’re not that anxious to do it.”
Was O’Reilly serious? Or just parroting what his milkshake BFF has told him?
Woodward didn’t challenge this ridiculous excuse. But he stood firm on his recommendation and issued an ominous warning:
WOODWARD: The White House counsel could conduct an inquiry, look at all the classified documents, talk to General Flynn and put it out or have some reporters who are neutral in all of this into the White House and say, “Here are the documents. Here’s what people say” and put it out. Believe me, this is gonna fester for weeks, if not months, if there aren’t answers to very serious questions.
Despite his Nixon-slaying reputation, Woodward has more recently often acted as “a willing conduit for Republicans and has proven instrumental in distributing their talking points.” So his admonition was not some Democratic messaging but came from somebody in bed with Republicans.
O’Reilly’s response? He joked about having to go abroad to find “neutral reporters.”
Watch it above, from the February 15, 2017 The O’Reilly Factor.
Crossposted at Newshounds.us
