Yesterday morning we told you about Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd throwing a mini-tantrum while Sen. Ron Johnson was explaining why over a dozen Republican senators are going to object to the Electoral College certification and call for a commission to look into voting irregularities in several states.
Meanwhile, CNN’s Jake Tapper went as far as to call Republican objections a “bloodless coup” attempt:
"With around 3,000 Americans dying every day, what are the president and a big chunk of Congressional Republicans focused on? Undermining the results of the election, essentially a bloodless coup," said CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday. https://t.co/fH6wJvCS5T
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) January 4, 2021
George Washington University law professor preceded a thread on this topic by noticing Tapper’s “bloodless coup” allegation:
Jake Tapper is the latest to declare that there is no comparison between GOP senators challenging the electoral votes this year and Democratic senators doing it in the past. He condemned this challenge under federal law as an "attempted bloodless coup." https://t.co/BaSAgZQQrN
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2021
Turley says that it is far from a “coup” attempt, and he also used Sen. Johnson’s appearance on Meet the Press as the catalyst for a thread dismissing those kinds of allegation:
Chuck Todd just cut off Sen. Johnson who was raising media bias by saying "I have had enough of this." Johnson was arguing for the creation of a Commission to look at the election which Todd is rejected as entirely unnecessary despite millions who view the election as rigged.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2021
Specifically discussed is the call to object to certification in order to create an election review commission:
…Todd dismissed a review of the election as akin to holding a hearing on the "moon landing." After an election with an unprecedented reliance on new systems and overwhelming mail in voting, it is hard to see the principled opposition to such a commission.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2021
…The challenge to the electoral votes will fail as did the prior Democratic challenges. However, there is value to having an commission to look at this election and the underlying allegations. I usually oppose such commissions but this is one time where there is a clear value.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2021
…With tens of millions unsure about the election, a comprehensive review and report could help address these questions before the next election. The alternative is to leave these questions to linger and fester in the coming years.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2021
…I do not see the value of a commission doing an audit in ten days however. The value is a deep dive into the allegations for the next election. These are comprehensive issues that should be fully analyzed and addressed. That would likely take a couple years.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2021
…We do not need a commission to determine who was elected in my view. There is no evidence to overturn this election. We need a commission to offer voters a single, comprehensive, and conclusive review of these allegations for the election.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2021
None of this is really the “bloodless coup” attempt Democrats and the media (again, pardon the redundancy) are trying to make it out to be.
Turley also noted that Stacey Abrams got a very different reception on Meet the Press:
After just denouncing Sen. Johnson and GOP senators as conspiracy theories and quacks, Todd proceeded to do a virtually celebratory interview with Stacey Abrams. Johnson was asked why he is lying to the public. Abrams was asked why she did not run as the strongest candidate.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2021
Todd's interview with Abrams shows an almost mocking demonstration of bias after being called out by Johnson for such bias. Todd views a balanced interview as asking Abrams how such a great candidate as herself is not running. He then returned to the attack in the next segment.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2021
Turley closes out a blog post on the subject this way:
As I noted earlier, Democrats did not accuse their colleagues of treason or sedition when they sought to block the certification of Ohio’s electoral votes in Congress in 2004. They did not call Hillary Clinton traitorous for advising Biden not to concede any Trump victory on Election Night. They did not describe members of Congress or the media as traitors for repeatedly declaring Trump “illegitimate” over the last four years.
Thus, in the end, as Napoleon said, “treason is a matter of dates.” And the key date in the United States, for now, appears to be Nov. 7 — the day the media declared Joe Biden the presumptive winner. All court challenges then became unethical for lawyers and all congressional challenges became sedition for members. It is just a matter of dates.
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