MEDIA WINNER: Dana Bash
CNN’s Dana Bash grilled Governor Kristi Noem on a series of tough topics this weekend, despite Noem's attempts to deflect.
During the interview, the South Dakota governor trashed the Jan. 6 House committee as “one-sided” — neglecting to mention that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pulled Republicans from the panel.
Noem then went on to impugn the credibility of committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to ex-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, criticizing much of Hutchinson's testimony as "hearsay.
The comment prompted Bash to note that while one claim was a secondhand account, many of the other key portions of Hutchinson’s testimony involved statements she says she heard directly from Donald Trump and Meadows.
“Governor, what I just played was first-hand,” Bash said – referencing a soundbite she had just shown in which Hutchinson talked about Trump knowing the protesters were armed and encouraging them to march to the Capitol anyway.
The governor then abruptly tried to switch gears, yet Bash went on to ask, "Do you believe that President Trump bears any responsibility for what happened on January 6th?”
Noem waffled and refused to put any of the blame on Trump, prompting Bash to ask the question again.
At another point in the painful interview, Bash asked Noem if the restrictive abortion laws in her state would force a sexually-abused young woman to have a baby.
Noem failed to answer the question directly.
Undeterred, Bash continued to steer the discussion back on topic throughout the interview. |