Sunday on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” host Brian Stelter accused President Donald Trump and the “right-wing media” of being obsessed with the news the Justice Department dropped the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn while the coronavirus pandemic death toll continues to go up.
Stelter said, “Think about this, between 1,000 and 2,000 deaths a day. It’s as if ten planes crash every day, and we just expect it to happen tomorrow. It’s as if New Orleans floods every day, and we just assume it will happen again tomorrow. That brings us to the president and the leadership we’re seeing or lack of leadership from the federal government. There’s attempts now to downplay what is happening or normalize what’s happening. We saw this week the president talking about shuttering the Coronavirus Task Force, then saying he won’t do that. We’re not seeing daily briefings by the task force. We’re not getting the national data we need from the government. We’re seeing some allegations of the administration retaliating against whistle-blowers who are speaking out trying to call attention to some of these failures. It’s a frightening time.”
Stelter said, “The death toll is not something that just is downplayed, it’s not something we can hide from, even if it’s gut-wrenching to hear about every day. It’s like New Orleans floods every day. It’s like the planes go into the towers every day. And to look away or act like it’s now normal or acceptable is a disgrace to the victims.”
He continued, “It’s so disappointing to look at what we’re seeing from right-wing media these days. There’s such an obsession with the ‘deep state’ and these revelations about the Russia probe and the decision about Michael Flynn. They’re treating the Michael Flynn story like it’s a bigger deal than the deaths of 2,000 Americans a day.”
He added, “When the president called in to Fox and Friends Friday morning before the unemployment rate numbers came out, he talked about the Flynn case for 20 minutes before he was asked about the pandemic. In what right mind is any scandal, any political scandal, any Department of Justice story more important to ask the president about than the pandemic that’s raging? Look, ultimately, it’s about news judgment, it’s about lack of judgment, but I find it befuddling that this death toll is normal, common, just another day now. Imagine if 1,000 to 2,000 Americans were dying a day from terror attacks? Imagine the president’s response?”
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