Tipsheet

'Face the Nation' Moderator Makes a Fool of Herself During Speaker Johnson Interview

Spencer Brown
Spencer Brown  |  January 08, 2024 11:45 AM

Sunday's installment of "Face the Nation" on CBS saw moderator Margaret Brennan sit down with House Speaker Mike Johnson near the U.S.-Mexico border — but she had questions beyond the border crisis created by President Joe Biden. Another problem: she didn't seem to do her homework. 

Speaker Johnson's trip to the border with fellow Republican lawmakers took a backseat to Brennan's questions about him allegedly being an "election denier" — according to the "editorial standards" of CBS News (more on those in a moment). 

"Back in 2021, you were the lawmaker who circulated the legal brief known as the Texas amicus brief challenging the 2020 election outcome in a number of states," Brennan stated, "which by CBS editorial standards makes you an election denier." 

"That's nonsense," Speaker Johnson replied. Brennan doubled down, asking: "Can I get you on the record on that?"

"I've always been consistent on the record," the Speaker reminded before asking an important question of his interviewer: "Did you read the brief? Did you get a chance to read what we filed with the Supreme Court?" he asked.

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"Well- I have read extensively some criticisms of that," was Brennan's squirming response.

"You read commentary, but not what we submitted to the court," Johnson summarized.

WATCH:

So no, Brennan clearly has not read the brief she tried to use as a bludgeon against Speaker Johnson. All she, by her own admission, had read were "criticisms" of the brief — meaning she got the liberal interpretation of the document from the same people who insist January 6 was as bad as Pearl Harbor and 9/11. 

Now to the CBS News "editorial standards" used by the outlet to determine who must be labeled with the scarlet "D" as an election denier. Notably, Democrats are basically immune from the start as CBS only uses the label to deal with the 2020 election. So no, you won't see the Democrats who questioned the legitimacy of, tried to avoid certifying, or suggested overturning the 2000, 2004, or 2016 elections labeled as "election deniers" by CBS News although that's exactly what Democrats did.