David Shuster’s Twitter Silent Since Breitbart/O’Keefe Battle

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by Steve Krakauer | 8:44 am, February 15th, 2010

» 23 comments

MSNBC anchor David Shuster tweeted a Media Matters link to story about James O’Keefe at 5:41am on January 27.

But since that tweet, he’s been very noticeably silent, while appearing in his regular timeslots anchoring MSNBC – including for one memorable on-air fight with Andrew Breitbart on January 28. So why the Twitter silence?

The reason for this is likely a couple direct tweets from Shuster to O’Keefe the night of January 26:

@JamesOKeefeIII a) you are not a journalist b) the truth is you intended to tap her phones c) it’s a felony d) you will go to prison

@jamesokeefeIII oh, and did I mention that your tweet will help prosecutors prove intent? Keep at it, young man. I’m enjoying this a lot.

“The comments were inappropriate,” an MSNBC spokesperson told Politico. “We have talked to David about them.”

When asked about the 19 days of Twitter silence since, an MSNBC spokesperson had “no comment” for Mediaite. So did the fight with Breitbart on MSNBC the next day lead to the prolonged silence? It looks like it probably played a part.

And if it’s not a ban by MSNBC, when will Shuster return? He can email Fox News shows with his praise of their joking criticism, so surely he can tweet occasionally.

Shuster has been one of the MSNBC anchors to embrace the social networking service the most, with nearly 25,000 followers. We’ll keep an eye out for when he makes his return.

Here’s the Shuster/Breitbart “interview” from last month:

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Andrew Breitbart, David Shuster, James O'Keefe, msnbc, twitter

Zakk

Shuster calling O’Keefe “Not a journalist”… Pot meet Kettle.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

Who cares – Andrew Breitbart is a useless sack of shit who, in comparison, makes Shuster into Woodward/Bernstein Pulitzer material.
The Real Royal King

I’d say you summed that up just about right, Bill.
Zakk

Who cares – David Shusteris a useless sack of shit who, in comparison, makes Breitbart into Woodward/Bernstein Pulitzer material.
Zakk

Whoops! –

Who cares – David Shuster a useless sack of shit who, in comparison, makes Breitbart into Woodward/Bernstein Pulitzer material.
ImNotBlue

Schuster is a sorry excuse for a reporter… and later lied about having sent that tweet. It’s only a matter of time before he puts his foot so far in his mouth, that MSNBC will be forced to cut him loose.

But he’ll probably have to say something negative about a Liberal first. Maybe another quip about Chelsea Clinton…
TfT

MSNBC=meltdown
shootfromthehip

Is there ANY Mediaite story which the sack of shit “I’mNotBlue” won’t comment on? What sad, pathetic kind of person vomits his hatred of all things “liberal” on every single post, every single day?
silkworm

Schuster, he should stick to reporting about his high school basketball team. He is only out done by the concoction that takes place starting at 5PM
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

Tell it to Fox Not News Channel, silkworm – they’re the ones who put Beck on every day at 5 pm.
ImNotBlue

shootfromthehip says:
February 15, 2010 at 1:18 pm

“WAAAAA… INB disagrees with me. I just want him to stop talking! WAAAA”

Grow up.

Bill Adkins says:
February 15, 2010 at 2:23 pm

See… as I said… one track mind.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

Are we using words of too many syllables for you, blue?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Nick-Andrelli/100000753300823 Nick Andrelli

Of course 0bama is afraid of the White House Press Corps.

Wouldn’t you be afraid with all those dead people around you?

(I guess you just have to be smarter than the TOTUS).
sunnyblack

Maybe Schuster is busy with all his teabagging…
ImNotBlue

Bill Adkins says:
February 15, 2010 at 3:07 pm

Not really. You don’t use that many syllables to perpetually attack Republicans and FNC. It’s just amazing you can’t stay on topic for one thread… gotta keep attacking, even when it’s irrelevant to the topic.

I imagine private conversations with you to be like this:
“Hey, Bill… you want spaghetti for dinner?”
“FOX News is evil?!”
“Yes, we know Bill… we’re talking about dinner.”
“Republicans have ruined the country!”
“Spaghetti Bill! Noodles and pasta!”
“Sarah Palin is stupid!”
“Fine… whatever.”

What a broken record.
shootfromthehip

Oh I’m grown, “I’mNotBlue.”

I don’t care if you agree with me or not. I’m simply pointing out that you are pathetic and a hypocrite. But then again, you knew that, I’m sure.
kit9

Shuster is an absolute disgrace. Between his reprimands, on air apologies(at least 2 that I know of) and suspensions, all in the last two years, what, seriously, does someone have to do to get fired from MSNBC? Now, these tweets are downright shocking. He states, flatly, that O’Keefe is guilty of attempted wiretapping and will go to prison. Then he gloats.

A: O’Keefe wasn’t even charged with wiretapping. B. It’s insane to pronounce him guilty and prison bound. And especially infreakingsane for Shuster to say so. This isn’t Olbermann. Shuster is a straight reporter/anchor. Excuse, me, supposed to be a straight reporter/anchor. Hell, even if he were Olbermann, it would be disgraceful since he didn’t have the basic facts straight. What was he thinking? I guess, because he’s gotten away with such atrocious behavior in the past, that nobody would bat an eye. And, for the most part, they haven’t.
felixw

Breitbart destroyed Shuster, and revealed his ugly bias for all to see. I haven’t seen such a decisive takedown, since Ali knocked out Liston in the first round of their rematch. No wonder we haven’t heard a tweet out of Shuster since then.

Of course, I am still waiting for Mediaite to retract its article stating that O’Keefe was charged with wiretapping. Note to Mediaite: just pretending you didn’t say it doesn’t work when the article is still accessible on your site. For the record, no phone was tapped, destroyed, broken, manipulated or altered, and no charges have been filed about any phone being tapped, destroyed, broken, manipulated or altered. If you have evidence to the contrary, share it with us. Or else retract the article. This is what professional journalists do.
Facebook User

For the record, Instapundit is linking to this under the highly witty tagline “BREITBART 1, SHUSTER 0″. Apparently it’s a good thing when enemies are silenced. Or, at least it’s a good thing if you’re incapable of taking the (easy for me) step of showing how that person is wrong.
Rescuedog

It wasn’t just that Shuster had some indiscreet tweets about O’Keefe. He posted those tweets immediately before going to New Orleans to report on the story for MSNBC (in fact, he may have done it while he was there – I can’t recall the exact timeline). He conducted the infamous Breitbart interview from New Orleans. I agree with kit9 – just what does it take to get fired from MSNBC these days? Since his Twitter account has been silent for so long, I am guessing that MSNBC suits threatened his job and either told him to stay off it for a while or he decided to go dark on his own out of self-preservation.

@Facebook User: “Apparently it’s a good thing when enemies are silenced. Or, at least it’s a good thing if you’re incapable of taking the (easy for me) step of showing how that person is wrong.” He hasn’t been silenced. He appears on the air every day. And if he doesn’t like being banned from Twitter (if that is what happened), he certainly has the choice to work somewhere else. As to why what he did was wrong, please re-read the above. This was discussed on Mediaite and elsewhere ad nauseam two weeks ago.
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