Chris Hayes backpedals on midterms being potential 'end of democracy'
The MSNBC host had previously offered dire warnings about the future of American democracy, but a tweet on election day showed a complete reversal of that rhetoric.
MSNBC’s "All In" host Chris Hayes was widely rebuked on Tuesday after he downplayed President Biden's decades-long history of falsehoods while discussing GOP Rep.-elect George Santos's resume debacle.
Santos, the New York representative-elect, admitted on Monday to lying during his campaign about his work experience and education, prompting a strong reaction from Democrat politicians and media pundits who immediately deemed him unfit to serve in Congress.
While many on Twitter chastised Santos as a "degenerate liar" for misleading voters about his professional past, others called out the hypocrisy of the left's exasperation after years of excusing Biden's trouble with the truth.
BIDEN'S LIES, OUTRIGHT FABRICATIONS REPEATEDLY DISMISSED, DOWNPLAYED AND SOFTENED BY THE MEDIA
George Santos (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Pointing out the apparent double standard, Jonah Goldberg wrote on Twitter, "I think Santos is a total embarrassment and has no place in public life. But a lot of folks on this site dinging him seem to have forgotten how much both the current president and his predecessor ‘embellished’ about their accomplishments."
The tweet elicited a response from Hayes, who was quick to defend Biden's lies as "normal politician bs-ing."
"I think there's a line between ‘normal’ politician bs-ing and conman serial lying, and he's got infractions on either side of that line," Hayes said of Santos. "I mean it would have been a pretty big deal if it turned out Joe Biden didn't actually have a law degree!"
Hayes' defense of Biden didn't sit well with many on the platform, who pounced on the MSNBC host for admittedly looking the other way when it comes to the president.
"Sure," responded Washington Examiner columnist T. Becket Adams. "Biden lied about being the first in his family to go to college, lied about his scholarship, lied about finishing in the top half of his class, lied about having 3 undergrad degrees, and lied about being a professor. but, by God, the law degree is real!"
"They will always find wiggle room," he added in a separate tweet. "always."
Former White House reporter Jim Stinson responded, "has Biden ever stopped? He lied about talking to Hunter about foreign deals. He lied about economy. He continues to lie."
"Why no calls by Democrats for Biden to step down for lying about himself for years?" Fox News host Mark Levin wondered earlier in the day.
Others pointed to a tweet from Grabien founder Tom Elliott, who outlined several of the president's acknowledged falsehoods and embellishments in a five-part thread last week.
"— Survived a fire — Arrested in civil rights march — Star football player — Once a truck driver — Arrested meeting Mandela — Son killed in Iraq — Overheard mass shooting — Top of his class in college — Hit a 368’ homer in baseball game — Had job at timber co.," Elliot wrote.
"— Oil industry somehow gave him cancer — Won a fight against a drug dealer named Cornpop — Dead Amtrak worker awarded him for riding 1.8 million miles — Attended Temple services on a Sunday — Raised in Puerto Rican community — Worked as a college proof," he continued.
Townhall Columnist Brad Slager chimed in, "The Puerto Rican Jose Biden cribbed papers in law school to get that degree, [and] dropped out of a campaign over plagiarizing. He has lied about his career, his family, and his record. But his decades of lying boldly are not a big deal, compared to Santos. Got it."
Biden's history with the truth was evident in a recent New York Times article, which noted that the president has spoken dishonestly about being growing up in a Puerto Rican community at home, his academic record, his life story, being arrested when protesting civil rights, being arrested in South Africa, pinning a Silver Star on a Navy captain and even the timeline when he rode on Amtrak to visit his sick mother, among other things. He’s told other unbelievable stories not mentioned in the article, such as the claim he confronted a gang leader named "Corn Pop" in the 1960s.
Some of Biden’s dishonest statements are political, such as the time he claimed the economy had "zero percent inflation" during July when it was actually 8.5%. Other times, they’re wildly exaggerated tidbits about his personal life. He often botches key details, misremembers dates and sometimes seems to just make up or embellish tales about his past.
President Biden speaks about inflation and supply chain issues in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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He has also falsely claimed he was "appointed" to the Naval Academy, dishonestly said he was arrested in South Africa, misleadingly bragged he was arrested during the civil rights movement in the United States, inaccurately claimed he was once a professional truck driver and oddly claimed he was "sort of raised in the Puerto Rican community at home."
Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.