‘This Is Madness!’ Chris Hayes Loses It After Jeanine Pirro Doesn’t Rule Out Prosecuting ABC Reporter

MS NOW’s Chris Hayes went off on President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, the latter of whom would not rule out charges against ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.

The president recently oversaw a major renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, but since the job was completed, the pool has been plagued by algae blooms. Last week, visitors to the pool could see paint peeling away from the bottom. The algae has given the pool a distinct green hue instead of the intended American flag blue. Some tourists have reportedly been ripping off pieces of the paint to take as souvenirs.

On Friday, Trump railed against Karl, whom he falsely accused of “trying to rip the rubber off of the surface” of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The day before, ABC News posted a video of Karl merely holding up a piece of paint peeling off the bottom while reporting on the state of the pool. The president has baselessly blamed vandals for sabotaging the Reflecting Pool’s recent renovation, which has been marred by the paint issue and algae blooms. On Monday, Trump even suggested some person or persons dumped fertilizer into the pool and somehow cut a 250-long gash into its side. In subsequent tellings, Trump increased the length to 300 and then 350.

On Monday’s All In, Hayes played a clip of Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Peter Doocy asking Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, if Karl had run afoul of the law.

“President Trump’s got a Crime Stoppers tip for you,” Doocy told Pirro. “He says, ‘lightweight ABC reporter Jonathan Karl was seen sticking his hand into the pool and trying to rip the rubber off the surface.’ Judge, is Jonathan Karl from ABC in trouble?”

Here is Pirro’s response and Hayes’ reaction:

PIRRO: Well, you know, it depends. You know, anyone who is in a position of vandalizing or attempting to vandalize the Reflecting Pool will face the criminal justice system in D.C. Look, the president has made it a priority to make D.C. not only safe, but beautiful. And there are several citations that have been handed out to individuals. And these are cases that will be prosecuted to the full extent. If there are more serious products that are put into the reflecting pool to create more algae or a bigger problem, then we’ll consider more serious charges.

[…]

HAYES: This is insane. This is madness! No one’s dumping things in the reflecting pool to grow algae! It’s their own incompetent, corrupt failures, blooming for all the world to see, cracking and floating to the surface. All of it! Just the most literal manifestation of how these people go about everything. And now they have to create this dark conspiracy and use the force of law to pursue it. These people are desperately seeking someone else to blame for Trump’s malfeasance.

Hayes then noted that five people have been arrested in connection with alleged incidents involving the pool, and another five have received citations. There is no indication that any of them are responsible for the algae blooms or peeling paint. The host later interviewed a former U.S. Olympic canoe racer, who was arrested after he reached in to feel the peeling paint.

The Reflecting Pool was renovated by Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based company that was awarded a $13.1 million no-bid contract.

On Thursday, The New York Times reported that the pool’s new water purification system was installed via another no-bid contract, by Greenwater Services, which is owned by J.J. Cafaro Trust, headed by John J. Cafaro. In 2001, Cafaro pleaded guilty to bribing a congressman, whom he later testified against.

Watch above via MS NOW.

This article has been updated to correct the amount of the contract awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!