GOP Secretary of State Melts Down When Asked To Explain Bid to Throw Biden Off Ballot ( www.rollingstone.com )

Jay Ashcroft flopped when faced with the most dreaded predicament amongst grandstanding blowhards: a follow-up question

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s attempt to justify his ludicrous threat to have President Joe Biden removed from the state’s electoral ballot spiraled into chaos over the most basic of questions: “How so?”

During a Monday interview with CNN’s Boris Sanchez, the Republican was asked how he justified his threats to have Biden removed from the state’s ballot in retaliation for recent attempts to remove Trump from state ballots on grounds that his actions in the aftermath of the 2020 election constitute insurrection. The constitutionality of such a removal will soon be reviewed by the Supreme Court.

“What would then be your justification for removing Joe Biden from the ballot in Missouri. Has he engaged in your mind in some kind of insurrection?” Sanchez asked.

“There have been allegations that he’s engaged in insurrection,” Ashcroft replied. He was then met with the most dreaded predicament amongst grandstanding blowhards: a follow-up question.

“How so?” Sanchez asked, prompting Ashcroft to demand that Sanchez stop interrupting him. “You can’t say something like that and not back it up,” Sanchez countered.

“You interrupted me before I could back it up,” a flustered Ashcroft complained. “Are you scared of the truth?”

randon31415 ,

Can't reason people out of things they didn't reason themselves into.

LillyPip , (edited )
@LillyPip@lemmy.ca avatar

‘What’s your legal argument?’

‘Your honour, it’s the perennial argument of I’m Rubber, You’re Glue, as put forth in the case of Billy vs Jimmy in the schoolyard, 1954. The teacher in that case argued that Billy was, in fact, glue…’

Tbird83ii ,

I'm sorry, but Billy v Jimmy is not consistent with this nations Historical Traditions. Your argument needs to include a valid ruling from between 1776 and a time period that justifies my argument, whether or not the precedent at that time was to provide justice only to land-owning white men.

So sayeth we Court Supreme.

WhatsHerBucket ,
@WhatsHerBucket@lemmy.world avatar

I've got a few boat rides and some cash that says otherwise

badaboomxx ,

Sorry, but under the precedent of "you are, but what am I?" That argument ca not be used anymore plus one

Suavevillain ,
@Suavevillain@lemmy.world avatar

The GOP can never actually explain their reasoning when people push back usually.

lolcatnip ,

Almost like they have no reasoning!

charonn0 ,
@charonn0@startrek.website avatar

What a snowflake. He literally whines about being interrupted.

badbytes ,

Drrrrrh. Potato

MammyWhammy ,

The follow-up question was literally "What accusations are you making against Biden to justify removing him from the ballot?"

Like dude, you can literally make up anything and your base would eat it up. You couldn't even do that. What a moron, and he'll still lose almost zero support from his base because they didn't actually pay attention.

Transporter_Room_3 ,
@Transporter_Room_3@startrek.website avatar

you can literally make up anything and your base would eat it up

They know.

They do. Every day.

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

It shouldn't be all that surprising that John Ashcroft's son has a total lack of imagination and creativity.

RizzRustbolt ,

The Ashcrofts have always been smooth-brained. But Jay's is so smooth that quarks could ice skate on it.

Octavio ,

Oh, wow. I hadn’t put 2 and 2 together that this is John Ashcroft’s kid. Chip off the old block it appears. 😂

tacomama ,

Let the eagle soar!

mastefetri ,

Gosh, how rude. Ashcroft wanted to ride out the clock with a gish gallop and the mean interviewer wouldn't let him. What happened to journalistic standards?

moog ,

Ashcroft got absolutely roasted holy Christ. "Duh duh duh huh what??? There have been allegations! I just don't know them"

inclementimmigrant ,

Sadly, I grew up in that state and I can tell you that a huge swath of the people that live there will see it the exact opposite.

Facebones ,

I'm not surprised. I'm in Virginia and I see MAGAts argue that having the gall to ask why is in and of itself an admission of guilt.

"Bidens a traitor!"

"Why?"

"YOU KNOW WHY IF HE'S INNOCENT WHY YOU SO WORRIED ABOUT IT HUH?!"

Natanael ,

"innocence is supposed to be a legal defense, but you're refusing to let somebody defend themselves even if you have no reason to think they did anything wrong - everybody should be worried!"

Jaysyn ,
@Jaysyn@kbin.social avatar

Pandering to his #fascist supporters.

RestrictedAccount ,

Why would Rolling Stone link to Shitter rather than directly to the CNN interview?

They are enabling their oppressor

Edit: I tried to post the clip from CNN. After it hanging because it was stuck on the pop ups to allow it to track me even off their site and requests to push non stop ads to my cell phone in the middle of meetings and dinner I gave up.

There has to be a way.

ChunkMcHorkle , (edited )
@ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world avatar

deleted by creator

rynzcycle ,

The video for those who'd like to watch and are hitting the RS paywall:
Twitter Link

It's pretty hilarious, he clearly didn't come prepared for the most basic of follow-up questions.

Nougat ,

Ashcroft: "Are you scared of the truth?"

Sanchez: "Oh, I am not terrified of the truth at all, seems like you might be."

You need to watch those clips in the Xitter link. Sanchez is on fucking fire and does not let up.

negativenull ,
@negativenull@lemm.ee avatar

We need more journalism that pushes back like this.

deweydecibel ,

We certainly do, but we shouldn't kid ourselves into thinking that would accomplish much with these fuckers. They'll just start avoiding the journalists that refuse to stay neutral or lob them softballs.

It's not like their supporters are going to shame them for doing that, either. I'm shocked any Republican talks to any reporter that isn't from Fox News anymore.

ChunkMcHorkle , (edited )
@ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world avatar

deleted by creator

ripcord ,
@ripcord@kbin.social avatar

I'll watch it somewhere, but it's not going to be at TwitX.

Edit here: https://youtu.be/pIsVB-H_M_8?feature=shared

The most relevant part starts around 4:22 but the whole thing is good (well, up until the YouTuber jumps in with his take, which fortunately is after the CNN segment)

lazynooblet ,
@lazynooblet@lazysoci.al avatar

Fantastic. 🍿

I also immediately switched off when the YouTuber started talking.

Infinity187 ,

BTC is actually a pretty well established political YT'er and has some great rundowns of the political climate. I'm sure you'd change your tune if you watched a few vids.

eestileib ,

He's got a very intense delivery style that comes off very used-car-salesman to me. I don't think he's wrong about stuff, I just don't enjoy watching his presentation style.

RaoulDook ,

But I don't want to watch any Youtubers talk. They are all annoying, and I don't care to see their talking faces.

Any information that they could present by talking it to a camera with their face, could be more efficiently delivered as a blog post. There's no reason but self-promotion for these people to be talking to their camera. Videos that show things happening, and are about actual stuff, are what Youtube should be for. Not a bunch of talking heads giving their opinions to a camera.

lolcatnip ,

I couldn't get over his use if the word "extrajudicial" to describe what's happening in court cases. What a bumbling moron.

jpreston2005 ,

"b-b-but, but twump was taken off for allegations, and allegations mean stuff someone said, so I heard someone say Biden bad so slippery slope then I take bidens name off"

He said "well if they do it, slippery slope, I'll do it!" He SERIOUSLY used a well known logical fallacy to prove his point.

my grasp upon my own native tongue is a failure, as I simply don't have the words to describe the level of idiocy we see regularly from republicans.

Fapper_McFapper ,

Isn’t Missouri the show me State? Is this fucktard going to show any evidence of insurrection or just blather on about how other governors have made the claim of insurrection against Biden? My god Republicans are stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid to the fucking core.

numbermess ,
@numbermess@kbin.social avatar

Their business is only in propping up accusations, so he's just gonna blather.

ChunkMcHorkle , (edited )
@ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world avatar

deleted by creator

Reverendender ,
@Reverendender@sh.itjust.works avatar

You can’t tell me this clown is not inbred. Or at least the progeny of some sort of greasy-haired weasel creature.

Taleya ,

The tragic end result of a meerkat left alone with a vial of human growth hormone and a copy of atlas shrugged

jordanlund Mod ,
@jordanlund@lemmy.world avatar
ChunkMcHorkle , (edited )
@ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world avatar

deleted by creator

Hegar ,
@Hegar@kbin.social avatar

some sort of greasy-haired weasel creature.

Brutal imperialist torture lawyer, as it happens.

nilloc ,

Helped get us fucked in Iraq & Afghanistan shit weasel.

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