Joe Scarborough is so engrossed in attacking Donald Trump that he is even willing to dismiss Bill Clinton's sexual misconduct, and mock those who were offended by it.
On today's Morning Joe, in condemning evangelicals who continue to support Trump despite a federal judge finding a "substantial truth" in the jury's conclusion of a sexual assault, Scarborough said:
"My brothers and sisters that I grew up with in the evangelical church . . . are now fiercely fighting for and backing a rapist, according to a judge. Who said by the common definition of the term, Donald Trump raped E. Jean Carroll. That's in the court of law. That's not in, in, again, the pages of some left-wing journal.
"And these are the same people who all collapse on their fainting couch because Bill Clinton had a relationship with an intern, back when he was in the White House. And said he was unfit to be President of the United States."
What makes Scarborough's dismissal of the seriousness of Clinton's misconduct so shocking is that—as the congressman that he so often reminds us that he was—Scarborough voted to impeach Clinton for, among other things, lying about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
Scarborough has somehow managed to pick himself off his impeaching couch and now is ready to trivialize Clinton's misdeeds.
At the very least, if Scarborough were being open and honest, he owed the audience an explanation of why he voted to impeach Clinton then, but apparently now believes it was a trivial matter.
And let's remember that in addition to Clinton's Lewinsky affair, there were credible allegations against Clinton of having raped Juanita Broaddrick in Arkansas. Veteran NBC News reporter Lisa Myers interviewed Broaddrick at the time. But the NBC suits sat on the interview, in which Broaddrick made credible allegations that Myers corroborated, and didn't release it until Clinton's impeachment trial in the Senate had ended.
By contrast, E. Jean Carroll couldn't define the day or even the year that Trump assaulted her.
Question for Scarborough: Do you believe Broaddrick, or at the least see her allegations as very serious? Or are they just more "fainting couch" material for conservatives?
Note how Scarborough didn't even deign to identify Monica Lewinsky by name, referring to her only as "an intern." Shades of Bill Clinton back then, denying that he had sexual relations with "that woman," then, presumably realizing how callous he appeared, adding, "Ms. Lewinsky."
This is quite a contrast with other moments during the Trump years where Joe and Mika let Bill Clinton have it, suggesting his misbehavior somehow led to Trump.
Joe Scarborough mocking evangelicals as being on their "fainting couches" over their concerns about Bill Clinton's sexual misconduct. was sponsored in part by Abbvie, maker of Rinvoq, Consumer Cellular, and GlaxoSmithKline, maker of the Shingrix vaccine.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
8/8/23
6:06 am EDTJOE SCARBOROUGH: The, the, the, the judge in the E. Jean Carroll case, where the judge said Mr. Trump raped --
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Oh! Lot of optics here.
SCARBOROUGH: E. Jean Carroll also.
MIKA: So, a federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump's countersuit against writer E. Jean Carroll.
Trump sued Carroll in June, alleging she defamed IIhim by continuing to say the former president raped her, even though in May, a jury found Trump when he was only found liable for sexual abuse.
Yesterday, a judge ruled against Trump's argument, explaining that while the jury did not find that Trump raped Carroll according to New York penal law's narrow definition, her allegation of rape is not defamation, because the word's common and more widely-understood definition is broader.
The judge also denied Trump'sclaim of presidential immunity, saying he waited too long to raise that defense. The countersuit is in response to a separate defamation lawsuit filed over comments Trump made about Carroll, both while he was in office and the day after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse.
That civil trial is set to begin in January. Trump's lawyers say they plan to appeal the judge's ruling.
What are the chances, though, he says something again and again and again, defaming her?
SCARBOROUGH. Chance is good. And chances are good he'll keep getting sued.
Charlie Sykes, this morning, Gerard Baker in the Wall Street Journal wrote, wrote a column you were, I think you were referencing earlier, where he said, you know, Republicans really have to make a choice here. They can continue their year of magical thinking, or they can keep defending Donald Trump. And in so doing, forever alter the rule of law in America. Very true about that.
Let's say the same thing about my brothers and sisters that I grew up with in the evangelical church. They are now fiercely fighting for and backing a rapist, according to a judge. Who said by the common definition of the term, Donald Trump raped E. Jean Carroll. That's in the court of law. That's not in, in, again, the pages of some left-wing journal.
And these are the same people who all collapse on their fainting couch because Bill Clinton had a relationship with an intern, back when he was in the White House. And said he was unfit to be President of the United States.
