This week’s Liberal Media Scream features a network critic of President-elect Donald Trump taking offense at ally Elon Musk’s lobbying Congress on behalf of the Republican.
CBS’s Margaret Brennan, host of Face the Nation, hit Musk as an “unelected” influencer, which, of course, she is, too.
Brennan called Musk’s role in the budget talks last week “confusing” on Sunday.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) said, “It feels as if Elon Musk is our prime minister.” To which Brennan interjected, “Unelected.” Gonzales agreed he is unelected but pointed out how “he has a voice, and I think a lot of, a large part of that voice is a reflection of the voice of the people.”
The exchange on Sunday’s Face the Nation on CBS:
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about the dynamic here because it’s confusing, frankly. I mean, Elon Musk is tweeting against bipartisan deals negotiated and led by the speaker of the House. What role exactly is he playing here?
REP. TONY GONZALES (R-TX): It’s kind of interesting. We have a president. We have a vice president. We have a speaker. It feels like — as if Elon Musk is our prime minister. And I spoke with Elon a couple of times this week. I think many of us-
BRENNAN: Unelected.
GONZALES: Unelected, but, I mean, he has a voice. And I think a lot of, a large part of that voice is a reflection of the voice of the people. Once again, a 1,500-page bill, how does that pass the smell test? It’s absolutely wrong. It’s what’s wrong with this place. So, we have to get back to regular order.
The other part of it, too, is while House Republicans were fighting over this spending bill, guess what Senate Democrats were doing? They were ensuring that President Biden got his 235th liberal judge over the finish line. That’s why it’s so important that House Republicans stay united, stay laser-focused on delivering on a President Trump agenda next year.
Brent Baker, the Steven P.J. Wood senior fellow and vice president for research and publications at the Media Research Center, explains our pick: “Guess who else is unelected but has lots of influence over public policy? High-powered wealthy media figures like Margaret Brennan who regularly pontificate on TV. One big difference between Brennan and so many others in the press corps who are upset with Musk’s power? He’s popular, and they are not.”
Rating: THREE out of FIVE Screams.