Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) refused to commit to accepting the 2024 election results then melted down as NBC’s Kristen Welker debunked his election lies.
Read: Samuel Alito Is The Insurrectionist Threat To Democracy On The Supreme Court
Welker asked Rubio if he would accept the election results no matter what happens.
Rubio said, “No matter what happens. No, if it’s an unfair election, I think it’s gonna
be contested by one side or the other. No matter who wins.”
Sen. Rubio then said, “I think you’re asking the wrong person. The Democrats are the ones that have opposed every Republican victory since 2000, every single one. It’s Hillary Clinton who refused to concede.”
Welker corrected him, “Hillary Clinton conceded. Senator, will you accept the election?”
Rubio then unleased a flood of lies, “Hillary Clinton said the election was stolen from her and that Trump was illegitimate. Kamala Harris agreed when she was a Democrat Senator.”
Welker fact checked him again “She conceded the election. She said that, she said that, no, she said that Trump was illegitimate. She said that the election had been stolen. Kamala Harris agreed by the way. There are Democrats serving in Congress today who in 2004 voted not to certify the Ohio electors because they said those machines have been tampered with and you have Democrats now saying they want certified 2024 because Trump is an insurrectionist and ineligible to hold office. So you need to ask them. I think you’ve had a, have you ever asked the question on your show? I bet you, you’ve never asked the Democrat that question.”
Welker said, “Senator, you voted to certify the 2020 election.”
Kristen Welker then played Rubio’s speech about democracy on the Senate floor as he voted to certify the 2020 election to him. Rubio claimed that NBC News was engaged in censorship, and that Hillary Clinton never conceded. Welker closed that segment of questioning by telling Rubio that he voted to certify the 2020 election, Hillary Clinton conceded, and there was no censorship.
Video:
Kristen Welker refuses to accept Marco Rubio’s lies about Hillary Clinton not conceding, NBC engaging in censorship, and his own vote to certify the 2020 election, “You voted to certify the election. Nothing has been censored on this program. Hillary Clinton did concede.” pic.twitter.com/QcwQN9UZoB
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) May 19, 2024
One of the good things that Kristen Welker has been doing on Meet The Press is asking her guests if they will accept the results of the 2924 election. She is not doing it as a gotcha question but as a way to inform the American people on where candidates and elected officials stand on democracy.
Republicans can’t seem to handle being questioned about their anti-democracy positions. Rubio tried to blast his way past Welker with an onslaught of lies, but she kept repeating the basic facts over and over again. Repetition of the facts is one of the best ways to disempower lies.
Kristen Welker has gotten plenty of criticism as the moderator of Meet The Press, but one of the things she has done well is to consistently keep the issue of democracy a part of her questioning of guests.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelorâs Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association