On NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker does what the press should have done from the start of Trump’s runs for the White House – confront all the lies:
Trump appeared to become agitated when Welker asked him about the $1.8 billion fund he has sought to pay people claiming they were victims of politicized prosecutions. The Justice Department agreed to set up the fund to settle the president’s lawsuit against the IRS, but officials backed off amid court challenges and pushback from Republican senators.
The president said on “Meet the Press” that he still wanted to establish the fund.
“If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve,” he said. “If they get it approved, that’s great. If they don’t get it approved, I’d be disappointed.”
Welker pressed Trump specifically on whether the 172 people who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6 attack would be eligible for money. Trump declined to rule it out, arguing that FBI agents invited the rioters inside the Capitol and that people pleaded guilty only because they were afraid of harsher sentences.
Welker pointed out that there is no evidence of FBI agents ushering rioters inside the Capitol. The Justice Department’s inspector general found that four FBI informants entered the building, but not at officials’ direction, and no on-duty agents were on the Capitol grounds that day until some responded to help subdue the riot.
“The people were destroyed by dirty cops and by weaponization,” Trump said. “Many of those people should be compensated.” [WaPo]
And then he went on to his favorite myths: rigged elections, mail-in ballots, etc, and she held firm.
Then he cut off the interview.
