Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) blamed the media on Thursday for forcing, in a “bank-shot” fashion, President Donald Trump’s relentless attacks on his own attorney general.
Brat said the media had fueled the attacks — everything short of typing Trump’s tweets for him.
In a statement Wednesday on the matter, Brat said Trump’s anger at Sessions — whose recusal from campaign- and Russian meddling-related matters paved the way for the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller — was partially the media’s fault.
“One thing is for sure: when AG Sessions erred on the side of caution by recusing himself, he never could have foreseen the 24/7 full-throated obsession over Russia by the mainstream media,” he wrote. “The media’s attacks have only escalated since Trump’s inauguration. Fake news dominates.”
“Who is at fault for the uncomfortable position Jeff Sessions is in?” CNN’s Kate Bolduan asked Brat Thursday, after referencing the statement.
Among other things, Brat said, “No one anticipated the 24/7 coverage on the Russia piece.”
“But is the President at fault for being the one who made the ‘beleaguered’ Sessions beleaguered?” Bolduan asked.
“No, no, I don’t think — the mainstream press has been relentless,” Brat said.
“There’s no way the media is powerful enough” to force Trump to tell the New York Times that he regretted appointing Sessions attorney general, an exasperated Bolduan said. “The media is not forcing the President to tweet his attacks.”
“I think you did,” Brat said. “If you’ve got 24/7 coverage and he doesn’t have an AG in place to cover the most important issue that the media covers with 90 percent of your coverage, the anchors across the mainstream…” he said, before changing topics.
“Are you kidding me?” Bolduan said. “The media did not force the President to attack Jeff Sessions.
“I’m using force in like a bank shot metaphor,” Brat said. “You didn’t coerce him. You made him frustrated.”
“He is frustrated because he does not have an AG at the highest level who can respond to the key issue that the media is grilling him on all day,” he continued.
“Do you agree that the President chose to push the keys on his phone to tweet an attack on his attorney general, under his own control?” Bolduan asked.
“I will concede that the President did touch his keypad,” Brat said.
Asked why he was so hesitant to criticize the President, Brat spoke only in generalities.
“There’s too much negativity up here,” he said.
Watch below via CNN:
“I will concede the president did touch his keypad.” As far as @RepDaveBrat will go on Trump v Sessions. Wild.https://t.co/HHZpvxYFtz
— Kate Bolduan (@KateBolduan) July 27, 2017
