NBC has received substantial backlash over how it handled a recent retraction of a false comment made by host Kristen Welker during an interview with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) discussing former President Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery to pay respects to America’s fallen soldiers, particularly those who died in the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan during the early days of the Biden-Harris administration that claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members.
Sen. Cotton defended Trump, who the left has criticized for supposedly using the event to create campaign content. Welker asked the Republican senator, “The bottom line, though, I guess senator, is it ever appropriate to make campaign content at military grave sites?” Cotton replied, “He didn’t take campaign photos there, these families, Gold Star families, whose children died because of Joe Biden Kamala Harris’s incompetence, invited him to the cemetery, and they asked him to take those photos.”
The Arkansas congressman continued, “Because, as they told me yesterday when I spoke to Kelly Barnett and Darren Hoover, the parents of Taylor Hoover, who has Arkansas ties, they don’t get to go to the beach on Labor Day. They don’t get to have barbecues. This is their one chance to have a memory of their children, to commemorate their service and honor their sacrifice. They wanted President Trump there. They wanted to take those photos. You know who the families also invited Joe Biden Kamala Harris. Where were they? Joe Biden was sitting at a beach. Kamala Harris was sitting at her mansion in Washington, DC. She was four miles away 10 minutes. She could have gone to the cemetery and honored the sacrifice of those young men and women, but she hasn’t. She never has spoken to them or taken a meeting with them.”
However, Welker interrupted Cotton, claiming, “Well they did meet with them during the with them during the dignified transfer.” Cotton, ignoring the assertion, continued, “Her and Joe Biden’s incompetence, that those 13 Americans were killed in Afghanistan.” Following the broadcast, the show was forced to acknowledge that Welker’s comment was incorrect.
Meet the Press issued a correction on its official X account, writing, “On our broadcast this morning, we incorrectly implied that both President Biden and Vice President Harris attended the dignified transfer of 13 American service members killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal. Biden was in attendance but Harris was not.
However, there was an outpouring of criticism from conservatives on social media who felt that the retraction was insufficient. One person shared a screenshot of the correction from the NBC show and wrote, “The NOTHING BUT CRAP (NBC) network can’t even do a retraction correctly. NOT AN IMPLICATION…SHE SAID IT!”
One person commented directly under Meet the Press’ retraction post, “No, @kwelkernbc did not “IMPLY” that both Biden and Harris were at the dignified transfer. She said that explicitly. She said “they did meet with them at the dignified transfer.” STOP LYING YOU SICK PEOPLE. And stop doing Democrat propaganda.”
Another person commented, “You cannot hate the media enough, or big tech as well– I think we are kidding ourselves to think this election is going to be anywhere close to fair– I think the steal is all ready done and the ballots have already been filled out just waiting for the polls to close, it’s over”. One user added, “Sure….and bury it where the sun don’t shine. Bidens nor Harris care about anything but their own power. We’re all expendable to them.”
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