Chuck Todd Baffled By Trump Presser: ‘Is He Trying to Start a Constitutional Crisis Over Voice of America?!’

Zachary PetrizzoApr 15th, 2020, 8:27 pm
 

MSNBC anchor Chuck Todd appeared baffled after President Donald Trump’s daily coronavirus press conference held in the Rose Garden Wednesday, asking a panel of experts asking if the commander-in-chief is “trying to create a constitutional crisis over Voice of America.”

Todd’s comment came on the heels of Trump voicing repeated frustration over Congressional obstruction of his cabinet officials. He specifically cited the case of his nominee to run the board of Voice of America, the federal government-funded overseas radio network, who has not yet been confirmed. Trump continued on a tangent about the agency, slamming its coverage, saying: “What things they say is disgusting toward our country.” The president’s attacks on VOA on Wednesday were presaged over this past weekend on one of the White House’s official communications channels, an attack echoed by Trump’s social media director, who claimed the broadcast arm was “paying for China’s very own propaganda.”

Trump then broadened his fire at the briefing, railing against the now-common tactic — practiced by both parties — of the Senate continuing “pro-forma” sessions, instead of officially going into recess, to prevent the president from appointing temporary officials to fill administrations vacancies. Trump claimed that he had the power to overrule this rule and force Congress to act on approving his appointees during the pandemic.

“A very combative press conference. Had a little — quite a few sort of rally-like rejoinders, I guess, if you will, going after Nancy Pelosi by name,” Todd noted, before throwing a question to NBC White House correspondent Kristen Welker.

“Kristen, I can’t ignore the tone of this briefing today. The president seemed to go off. At a time when we’re all focused on the same issues: trying to reopen the economy, the testing debacle, we got the food supply issue,” the MSNBC host noted. “And they touched on those things, but the president led with judges? And Voice of America?” Todd asked. “Is he trying to create a constitutional crisis over Voice of America?”

Welker fired back: “Right, Michael Pack. He wants to see him confirmed, Chuck, you’re absolutely right.”

“Someone described as a right-wing filmmaker,” Welker stated. “President Trump taking this very defiant stance, Chuck, you’re right. It does have tones of a campaign rally going after Democrats.”

Hours after the president’s latest broadside against her agency, VOA Director Amanda Bennett sent an email to her staff defending her staff and reasserting her belief in the agency’s mission.

Watch above, via MSNBC.

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