After the network evening newscasts downplayed or ignored the father of freed North Korea hostage Otto Warmbier criticizing the Obama administration’s failure to bring his severely injured son home, on Friday’s NBC Today, correspondent Andrea Mitchell actually devoted a full report to the topic. However, her…
After the network evening newscasts downplayed or ignored the father of freed North Korea hostage Otto Warmbier criticizing the Obama administration’s failure to bring his severely injured son home, on Friday’s NBC Today, correspondent Andrea Mitchell actually devoted a full report to the topic. However, her focus was on parroting excuses from former Obama officials.
Mitchell began the segment at the top of the morning show’s 8 a.m. ET hour by lamenting: “The tragic return of college student Otto Warmbier, now released from North Korea, but in an unexplained comatose state, is now becoming a political issue…” The headline on screen disrespectfully blared: “Otto Warmbier’s Father Lashes Out; Did Obama Administration Do Enough to Help Rescue Student?”
Noting how Fred Warmbier was “praising the Trump administration for bringing his son home” and “blaming the Obama administration for not rescuing him, ” Mitchell further explained: “The parents’ anger building after hearing nothing about their son for 18 months, despite making more than a dozen trips to Washington. Seeing then-Secretary of State John Kerry, but never talking to President Obama.”
Rather than let such criticism stand on its own merit, Mitchell touted how “The Obama administration is fighting back.” A soundbite followed of former National Security Council Spokesman Ned Price assuring the liberal reporter: “We had no higher priority, absolutely no higher priority than securing the release of Mr. Warmbier.”
Far from done, Mitchell then proceeded to recite two more statements defending the former president’s handling of the hostage crisis:
In a statement to NBC News, John Kerry saying, “I am glad that Otto is home, particularly grateful to Ambassador Yun for the work he did under the last administration and this one to make it a reality, and I hope above all, that there is hope ahead for Otto.” A former Obama official adding, “Secretary Kerry had succeeded in 2014 in bringing Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller home from North Korea by working out of the spotlight just as officials did for decades.”
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Besides running to get comment from Obama loyalists, Mitchell also attempted to deflect Warmbier’s criticism by trying to change the subject: “…another grieving American family lashes out at the U.
