MSNBC’s “Hardball” host Chris Matthews praised Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump former Florida Governor Jeb Bush for bringing up George W. Bush in relation to 9/11 and Trump “awakened us all to the fact that Jeb said something that just isn’t true. His brother did not keep us safe” on Monday.
Matthews said, “What strikes me about the campaign so far is that it took a political newcomer, Donald Trump, to say something we already knew, but nobody had said before, that President George W. Bush did not keep us safe in the eight years he was president of the united states. he didn’t keep us safe, or the people on those planes — those four planes safe that day. he didn’t keep safe — those men and women forced to choose between jumping from 100-story roof and being killed by the smoke and fire. And he didn’t keep safe the hundreds of firefighters killed that day doing their courageous duty. So, why did his brother make such a claim? Why did Jeb tell the audience in a republican debate last week, and to great and expected applause his brother ‘kept us safe.’ He said because he knew he could get — not only get away from it, but could trigger a wild cheer for it, because he knew the country had been told to not look at what steps were taken and not taken in the hours, days, weeks, months before September 11th, 2001. We’ve been told not to look at the casualties we’ve taken in Iraq, a war that had nothing to do with 9/11, except that, our president and his strong-minded advisors had used 9/11 to justify war they wanted for their own reasons. Well, the partisans of President George W. Bush say we can’t say this, any of it. His brother Jeb says that only those in the country’s margins even think this. Really?”
He continued, “But the Bushes and their partisans can charge Hillary Clinton for what happened in a remote building in war-torn north Africa, miles, 400 miles, from the capital of that country. Let’s put those two events together for just a moment, mentally. One [on] 9/11/2001, the other, on the same date in 2012, New York City, the United States’ financial center is hit by two jetliners. The center of our military command and control, located in Washington, DC is hit by another. Still, a fourth plane is downed by courageous passengers on a course to the capitol. All after warning was given to the president that, quote, ‘Bin Laden determined to attack in the US.’ We were hit here in our country, the homeland as the ideologues have gotten us to call it now by a concerted, highly coordinated attack, using airliners, and our training, and no one is to blame. But when an outpost 400 miles from the capital city, in a north African country, with nothing approaching a normal security situation, while then, Hillary Clinton, back in the United States is painted as the villain, as if it was she, who left the window open that night.”
Matthews then stated, “Again, I want to thank Trump and Jeb of course, for finally getting this one out in the open, by throwing out the red meat, by saying, he ‘kept us safe.” Jeb let us know what we knew already, that actually, W didn’t keep us safe, did he?”
He also argued, “I am not a big fan of Donald Trump on many occasions, on many fronts, but he woke — I think he woke open this campaign. He awakened us all to the fact that Jeb said something that just isn’t true. His brother did not keep us safe.”
Matthews also stated, later in the segment, “the Democrats never had the stones to go out and challenge George W. and say, ‘Look buddy, don’t talk about what a warrior king you are. you left the door open.’ Because they probably felt that would be un-nice. Trump isn’t un-nice. He’s willing to be tough, especially when the guy running against him has really, the stupidity to say, my brother ‘kept us safe’ in face of 9/11.”
Later, in his closing, Matthews said that if Hillary Clinton is to blame for Benghazi, George W. Bush is to blame for 9/11.
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.