What To Know
- Lawrence O’Donnell criticized Donald Trump for suggesting that six Democratic lawmakers should be executed for urging the military to refuse illegal orders.
- O’Donnell also condemned House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Trump defenders for downplaying Trump’s rhetoric and misrepresenting the Democrats’ message.
- He accused Republican politicians and right-wing media of intentionally spreading falsehoods about the Democrats’ statements and argued it is futile to host Trump defenders on television regarding such issues.
The Last Word‘s Lawrence O’Donnell has no patience for those defending Donald Trump after the President suggested that six Democratic members of Congress should be executed.
On Thursday (November 20), Trump unleashed a social media rant on the six lawmakers, all of whom served in the military or the intelligence community, after they put out a video on Tuesday (November 18) urging members of the military to “refuse illegal orders.”
Those featured in the video include Democrats Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ); Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI); Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO); Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA); Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH); Rep Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA).
“It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL,” Trump ranted on the social media app Truth Social. “Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL.”
The President later added, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” and also reposted a comment that said, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”
On Thursday’s edition of MSNOW’s The Last Word, O’Donnell played a clip of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) responding to questions about Trump’s comments.
“The words that the president chose are not the ones that I would use, okay?” Johnson said in the clip, per Mediaite. “Obviously, I don’t think that this is um, these are crimes punishable by death or any of that, okay?”
O’Donnell added, “The speaker, being a politician, then added, quote, ‘Sometimes, [Trump] uses heated rhetoric, okay? But do any of you agree that that’s appropriate, that they should be telling young members of the military to defy orders?’”
The long-time news anchor blasted Johnson for his wording, stating, “No one told members of the military to defy orders. They told members of the military that they should not follow illegal orders.”
O’Donnell went on to say that “every Republican” and “every Rupert Murdoch-owned propaganda outlet” that uses this wording that the six Democrats told the military not to follow orders “are lying, and know they are lying.”
“That is the only way that those liars know how to respond to a situation like this,” he continued, per Mediaite. “It’s why it is a complete waste of time and a violation of sanity to bring Trump defenders onto television shows on subjects like this, because they will all lie and claim that the Democrats told the military not to follow orders. They will all leave out the word ‘illegal.’ They will all lie. That is how they do it.”
You can watch The Last Word segment in the video above and let us know your thoughts below.
The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell, Weeknights, 10/9c, MSNBC