NBC News host Chuck Todd shut down Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-LA) attempt to equate the President Donald Trump’s Ukraine scandal with a conspiracy theory about 2020 candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday.
Shortly after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry against Trump, Kennedy (who had told Democrats to “buy a spine” on impeaching Trump in June) responded to the news on “Meet the Press” by bringing up Trump’s baseless accusation that Biden had gotten a Ukrainian prosecutor fired for investigating a company tied to his son.
“How does that have anything to do with the President of the United States going to another world leader and saying, ‘Open an investigation up on my chief political rival’?” asked Todd.
“Because it has to do with Ukrainian corruption, which is what all of this is about,” the Republican senator replied.
“Well, the Ukrainian corruption–it depends on what you view as corruption. What one side says is corrupt…I am trying to be fair here, but you can’t gaslight us, sir,” Todd said. “Don’t gaslight us.”
“I’m not gaslighting you. I’m telling you the facts,” Kennedy responded.
Watch the exchange below:
NBC's Chuck Todd to Sen. John Kennedy on Biden conspiracy theory: "Don't gaslight us, sir" pic.twitter.com/YUPaGsuDPs
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 24, 2019
