Politico’s Dylan Byers has MSNBC reaction to the charge that Andrea Mitchell was stating an opinion on the air…
“The piecemeal approach is basically saying, ‘Let’s throw a lot of money at border security,” she said. “John McCain has pointed out — and he’s been heroic on this issue — he has pointed out that it is a total waste of money, what they did in the Senate, but it is political cover. But just to do border security and nothing else — these fiscal conservatives ought to be ashamed.”
Asked for comment regarding her stance on the issue, Mitchell referred POLITICO to an NBC News spokesperson.
“Andrea has not taken a position on this issue,” said Erika Masonhall, the director of NBC News communications. “In the full context of her comments, she was noting that business and agriculture interests, clergy, and labor communities have all said the current policy is unsustainable, and that there is no economic argument for doing nothing or only adding to border security.”
Hogwash. Mitchell took a position. She said that fiscal conservatives ought to be ashamed. If she had just confined herself to the previous bit, I would be more willing to write it off as just analysis (bordering on opinion)…but that last sentence…that’s a statement based on an opinion. And no amount of MSNBC PR spin is going to alter that…
Filed under: MSNBC
