MSNBC Host Threatens to Sue Trump Aide Corey Lewandowski for Defamation — Then is Exposed by His Own Words in Shocking Video
MSNBC host Ari Melber threatened Trump aide Corey Lewandowski with legal action during a live broadcast of The Beat.
The exchange occurred after Lewandowski had the audacity to quote Melber’s own words back to him—words that exposed the media’s obsession with sensationalizing any aspect of President Donald Trump’s life, even following a failed assassination attempt.
Lewandowski, a seasoned campaign manager who played a pivotal role in Trump’s 2016 victory and who recently rejoined Trump’s campaign team as an adviser, didn’t back down in the face of Melber’s baseless threats.
Instead, he called out the MSNBC host for his hypocrisy, pointing out how Melber had described Trump’s appearance at the Republican National Convention last month.
In his broadcast last month, Melber had belittled Trump’s bandaged ear—an injury from the assassination attempt—as nothing more than “a prop, a spectacle from a candidate who’s obsessed with spectacles.”
Below is the transcript of the exchange:
Ari Melber: I quoted a New York Times article that said, at the convention, Donald Trump “was his own biggest prop.” It was a New York Times quote about how he–
Corey Lewandowski: Let me read it to you.
Ari Melber: –how he had become such an important figure in rebounding from what was a horrific assassination attempt. Fox News–
Corey Lewandowski: Let me read it to you.
Ari Melber: Corey, I said I’d address it. I’m gonna finish. Fox News, many viewers may not know about this, but apparently you do, and some do. Fox News, which has been caught in defamation, ran a false piece falsely stating that I said something else that I didn’t say. So, I stand on that. I stand on the New York Times quote.
Corey Lewandowski: So, you didn’t say, “This bandage was a prop, a spectacle from a candidate who’s obsessed with spectacles.”
Ari Melber: Uh, Mr. Lewandowski, I did not say that. That is a false quote.
Corey Lewandowski: I have it right here.
Ari Melber: What you have is a false quote.
Corey Lewandowski: You absolutely said it.
Ari Melber: What you have is a false quote. And if – I’m putting you on notice – if you continue to repeat falsely that I said that, you will be potentially in a defamation situation because I didn’t say that. But I understand that you’re working off the internet, which has a lot of false information.
Corey Lewandowski: Well, this is what it said. Right here.
Undeterred, Lewandowski revealed that he had the proof, and shortly after the broadcast, he released a video clip on social media showing Melber’s exact words from an earlier episode of The Beat. The footage left no doubt that Melber had indeed made the statements that Lewandowski had attributed to him.
“An MSNBC Host threatened to sue me for defamation tonight for (by definition) the opposition of defamation >> Quoting their own words. Watch for yourself and let me know what you think,” Lewandowski wrote.
WATCH:
During the RNC Convention last month, Melber quoted the New York Times, stating that Trump “was his own biggest prop” during his historic appearance with a large white bandage on his ear.
He went on to describe this moment as “an image for political mobilization” and characterized Trump, in his view, as “obsessed with assorted spectacles.”
Excerpt from Melber’s show via Newsbusters.org:
“You could hardly script a more stark proof-of-life moment as what you see here when he stepped out. And the reality is, this is a human being who was almost shot to death on live TV in front of his supporters and family this weekend.
And yet this is also showmanship by a politician known for his mastery of what they call unscripted reality TV. Taking this supremely visible seat in the VIP box with his new running mate and party leaders and a long-time TV personality, Tucker Carlson up there as well last night.
Here’s how The New York Times put it: “On the first night of this convention, Trump was his own biggest prop. He entered the VIP box, a large white bandage on his injured right ear, the result of a close call on Saturday with a would-be assassin’s bullet. A reminder of mortality, a badge of survival – it was a blank rectangle on which the crowd could read what it wished, and that made it the most potent placard in the hall.”
That’s fair. A placard for delegates to fill in, an image for political mobilization, a spectacle for this candidate who we know is – by his own admission – obsessed with assorted spectacles.
These aren’t normal times. This is not a normal convention. Whether that makes it abnormal in a way that is either special or abnormal in a way that is bad, is what voters will assess because many are watching over the course of these nights; along with you and our team here.
There is a political quest here to mine and use Donald Trump’s injury. And whether his allies and Republicans, or the candidate himself do that in a way that overextends their credibility will be decided by the voters. That is one good thing we hope we can still agree on in this country, because this is – as I said – a scary reality we all lived through this weekend and a political project. So, it’s a question for voters and for time itself.
But the RNC has certainly begun intensely.”
WATCH:
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