In a recent live broadcast of The Beat on MSNBC, host Ari Melber found himself in a heated exchange with Corey Lewandowski, a key aide to former President Donald Trump.
The confrontation escalated to the point where Melber threatened Lewandowski with potential legal action.
According to Gateway Pundit, the dispute arose when Lewandowski dared to recite Melber's own words back to him. These words highlighted the media's fixation on dramatizing every facet of Trump's life, even in the aftermath of a botched assassination attempt. Lewandowski, a seasoned campaign manager who was instrumental in Trump's 2016 victory and recently returned to Trump's campaign team as an advisor, stood his ground against Melber's unfounded threats.
Lewandowski challenged the MSNBC host's hypocrisy, referencing Melber's commentary on Trump's appearance at the Republican National Convention last month. Melber had dismissed Trump's bandaged ear, a result of the assassination attempt, as merely "a prop, a spectacle from a candidate whos obsessed with spectacles."
The conversation between the two unfolded as follows:
Ari Melber: I quoted a New York Times article that said, at the convention, Donald Trump was his own biggest prop. It was a New York Times quote about how he
Corey Lewandowski: Let me read it to you.
Ari Melber: how he had become such an important figure in rebounding from what was a horrific assassination attempt. Fox News
Corey Lewandowski: Let me read it to you.
Ari Melber: Corey, I said Id address it. Im gonna finish. Fox News, many viewers may not know about this, but apparently you do, and some do. Fox News, which has been caught in defamation, ran a false piece falsely stating that I said something else that I didnt say. So, I stand on that. I stand on the New York Times quote.
Corey Lewandowski: So, you didnt say, This bandage was a prop, a spectacle from a candidate whos obsessed with spectacles.
Ari Melber: Uh, Mr. Lewandowski, I did not say that. That is a false quote.
Corey Lewandowski: I have it right here.
Ari Melber: What you have is a false quote.
Corey Lewandowski: You absolutely said it.
Ari Melber: What you have is a false quote. And if Im putting you on notice if you continue to repeat falsely that I said that, you will be potentially in a defamation situation because I didnt say that. But I understand that youre working off the internet, which has a lot of false information.
Corey Lewandowski: Well, this is what it said. Right here.
Unfazed, Lewandowski insisted that he had evidence to back his claim. Shortly after the broadcast, he posted a video clip on social media from a previous episode of The Beat, which clearly showed Melber uttering the words Lewandowski had quoted.
An MSNBC Host threatened to sue me for defamation tonight for (by definition) the opposition of defamation >> Quoting their own words. Watch for yourself and let me know what you think, Lewandowski wrote.
During the Republican National Convention last month, Melber had quoted the New York Times, stating that Trump was his own biggest prop during his dramatic appearance with a large white bandage on his ear. He further described this moment as an image for political mobilization and portrayed Trump as obsessed with assorted spectacles.
The New York Times had reported: On the first night of this convention, Trump was his own biggest prop. He entered the VIP box, a large white bandage on his injured right ear, the result of a close call on Saturday with a would-be assassins bullet. A reminder of mortality, a badge of survival it was a blank rectangle on which the crowd could read what it wished, and that made it the most potent placard in the hall.
This incident underscores the ongoing tension between the media and conservative figures, highlighting the need for accurate reporting and accountability in journalism. It also serves as a reminder of the media's tendency to sensationalize, even when it comes to serious matters such as an assassination attempt on a former President.
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