NPR Supreme Court reporter Nina Totenberg has long been one of the most prominent examples of taxpayer-funded liberal bias. For example, she has a close friendship with ultraliberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who officiated at her second wedding in 2000. In 2010, Totenberg hosted "her friend" Ginsburg for a conversation at George Washington University, and in 2012, Totenberg gave the tribute to Justice Ginsburg at Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year awards: Ginsburg "quite simply, changed the world for women."
So when NPR wanted to discuss the controversy over Ginsburg's un-judicial remarks about Donald Trump -- including her notion that her late husband would tell her they should move to New Zealand if he's elected -- they found her buddy Totenberg to play defense on Wednesday night's All Things Considered:
ROBERT SIEGEL, anchor: After the New Zealand line, Trump spat back at Ginsburg. What did he say about her?
NINA TOTENBERG: He tweeted out a message saying that she has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me and adding that her mind is shot and that she should resign.
SIEGEL: Let me ask you about that last part. You've known Ruth Bader Ginsburg for a long time. Is her mind shot, and is she going to resign?
TOTENBERG: Well, as Josh Earnest at the White House put it today, she didn't earn the nickname the Notorious RBG for nothing.
SIEGEL: (Laughter).
TOTENBERG: She can be blunt, but her mind is not shot. I would give anything to have all the marbles in my head that she has in hers, and anyone who watches her on the bench or reads her work knows that. And she's probably not going to resign, at least not now. But having said that, she's created quite a stir and caught a lot of criticism on this and not just from conservative critics but from liberals, too.
Siegel at least asked how this might work if the November election results ended up before the Supreme Court. Totenberg downplayed this as much of a controversy:
TOTENBERG: I suppose you could argue it. She wouldn't be bound. And it wouldn't be the first time that this has happened. Remember that when the court was called upon to decide an important case that involved Vice President Cheney, there was a motion filed asking Justice Scalia to recuse himself because he'd gone duck hunting with Cheney. Now, Scalia didn't recuse himself, and I think that the consensus is that Ginsburg wouldn't either and that she wouldn't be obligated to.
Totenberg said she would see Justice Ginsburg soon and would ask her about it.
Earlier: Totenberg's six-and-a-half-minute promotional segment on NPR promoting the book The Notorious RBG and Ginsburg's ascension to "cultural icon" status.
