The choice of which parent to go live with following the divorce of NBC and MS NOW said a lot about the journalist who made it. While he would more routinely appear on NBC News programs, former Chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander chose to go with the more-openly partisan cable news channel. Moreover, despite promising his viewers “the facts” with this new daytime program State of Play, Alexander opened on Monday with a lie.
After giving a brief personal history of his interest in journalism and internship work at his local news station, Alexander closed out his show with this promise to his audience:
From day one, I have believed that reporting the news accurately and with context is a public service. It's a way of making a difference in my community and in our country. You deserve the facts, and I am committed to doing the best I can to report those facts here each day. So, that's what we're going to do.
“Thank you for trusting me and for watching. Now, it's time to get to work. We'll see you right back here tomorrow,” he concluded.
Ironically, Alexander closed out his first show by thanking the audience and proclaiming they "deserve the facts."
Adding: "I am committed to doing the best I can to report those facts here each day. So, that's what we're going to do."
Here's his full closing message:
"Before… pic.twitter.com/3Z1hncwV7T— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) August 10, 2026
Alexander opened his show without a monologue and dove right into reporting about Attorney General Todd Blanche’s swearing in ceremony, which would happen in a few short hours.
However, as he was talking about how contentious Blanche’s Senate confirmation was last week, Alexander falsely claimed that that no AG or Department of Justice had ever been influenced by a president or by politics before President Trump was elected:
This, as we all witnessed, was a bruising confirmation battle. Really a ‘will they, won't they?’ That went down to the last minute. And for good reason. For more than 50 years since Watergate, every single president has gone out of their way to ensure the Justice Department was independent, avoiding even the air of political interference or direction. Until now.
He would go to say that Trump was still treating Blanche as his personal lawyer and the DOJ as “his personal firm”: “Todd Blanche, you'll remember, was the president's personal criminal defense lawyer, and the president at times seems to think that Blanche still works for him and that the DOJ is his personal firm.”
Today was the first day of Peter Alexander's new MS NOW show "State of Play."
Setting the show's foundation early, some of the first words out of his mouth were lies. He falsely claimed no DOJ had ever been influenced by a president or by politics before Trump:
"Just three hours… pic.twitter.com/ptZX3GRTr6— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) August 10, 2026
Alexander rhetorically scoffed at the idea of Blanche being his own man:
And, Blanche, well, he's asserted President Trump has every, quote, “right” to intervene in DOJ business. So, while for a moment some thought Blanche, with his background as a federal prosecutor, could be a moderating force for this president, that appears to have passed.
Of course, it was a lie that that no AG or Department of Justice before Trump had ever been influenced by a president or by politics.
Eric Holder, President Obama’s first AG, infamously proclaimed himself “the president’s wingman” in a radio interview.
In 2010, NPR tried to downplay how close Obama and Holder were. “Washington lawyers say it's naive to think there can be a complete break between the Justice Department and the White House,” NPR wrote.
NPR even noted how close other presidents were to their AGs:
The tight relationship between an attorney general and his president isn't unprecedented. President Kennedy picked his brother Bobby to be the nation's top law enforcement officer. And close ties between President Bush and his attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, fueled accusations that the Justice Department had become too political.
Ironically, former AG Alberto Gonzales was Alexander’s first guest.
There were also the allegations that President Biden was having his DOJ engage in lawfare against Trump and his supporters.
Right out of the gate, Alexander stepped on a rake.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
MS NOW’s State of Play with Peter Alexander
August 10, 2026
11:00:27 a.m. EasternPETER ALEXANDER: Just three hours from now, that's when Todd Blanche will officially be sworn in as the next U.S. attorney general, after the Senate confirmed him late Saturday night.
This, as we all witnessed, was a bruising confirmation battle. Really a ‘will they, won't they?’ That went down to the last minute. And for good reason. For more than 50 years since Watergate, every single president has gone out of their way to ensure the Justice Department was independent, avoiding even the air of political interference or direction. Until now.
Todd Blanche, you'll remember, was the president's personal criminal defense lawyer, and the president at times seems to think that Blanche still works for him and that the DOJ is his personal firm.
Right now, he has federal prosecutors in Florida working on a, quote, “grand conspiracy” investigation of Obama and Biden-era officials. He's insisting that the U.S. attorney in D.C., Jeanine Pirro, re-file a case against an Olympic canoer that the president has repeatedly accused of damaging the reflecting pool. Even though Pirro, as you'll remember, now acknowledges it was actually shoddy work by the contractors. He wants the DOJ to file charges against Lisa cook and oust her from the Federal Reserve Board.
And, Blanche, well, he's asserted President Trump has every, quote, “right” to intervene in DOJ business. So, while for a moment some thought Blanche, with his background as a federal prosecutor, could be a moderating force for this president, that appears to have passed.
(…)
11:56:29 a.m. Eastern
ALEXANDER: Before we go today, a quick word of thanks.
This is a big day for me! It's my first solo show in nearly 30 years of journalism. I want to thank you for joining me on this journey.
My parents first dropped me off at the local newsroom in the San Francisco Bay Area. That's where I grew up. When I was just 15, a high school kid, I finagled my way into an internship before I was even old enough to drive. And from the moment I stepped into that newsroom, I was hooked. I remain that way today.
From day one, I have believed that reporting the news accurately and with context is a public service. It's a way of making a difference in my community and in our country. You deserve the facts, and I am committed to doing the best I can to report those facts here each day. So, that's what we're going to do.
Thank you for trusting me and for watching. Now, it's time to get to work. We'll see you right back here tomorrow.
