>> Laura: IT'S NO SECRET THAT
MOST JOURNALISTS LEAN LEFT, OR
THAT THEY WOULD FIND A VULGAR
AND FAR LEFT DINNER SPEAKER SO
FUNNY.
BY THE WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENTS ASSOCIATION
EXTOLS ITS COMMITMENT TO THE
FIRST AMENDMENT AND AN
INDEPENDENT MEDIA.
HOW INDEPENDENT IS THE
WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS THAT IS
SO OVERWHELMINGLY LEFTIST?
HOW CAN IT BE INDEPENDENT?
HOW COMMITTED TO FREE SPEECH AS
A GROUP THAT ONLY INVITES
COMEDIANS TO THEIR MARQUEE
DINNER WHO ATTACKED THE RIGHT?
LET'S EXAMINE THIS HYPOCRISY
WITH JEFFREY LORD OF THE
AMERICAN SPECTATOR, HOST OF "OUR
RECORD STORIES," AND ARI
FLEISCHER, GEORGE W. BUSH'S
FIRST PRESS SECRETARY.
GREAT IS THE ALL OF YOU TONIGHT.
LET'S START WITH YOU, ARI.
DID YOU GO TO THE DINNER?
YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T GO.
YOU'VE BEEN TO ENOUGH OF THOSE.
>> I HAVEN'T BEEN TO ONE OF
THOSE -- I'M HAPPY TO REPORT.
>> Laura: WHAT WAS YOUR
REACTION WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED
SEEING THE CLIPS ROLE IN?
>> FRANKLY, LAURA, UNTIL I SAW
IT ON YOUR SHOW, I HAD NO IDEA
HOW VULGAR IT WAS REALLY WAS.
I HATE SEEING A LOT OF THE
EXCERPTS, THINGS THAT WERE SAID
ABOUT KELLYANNE, THINGS THAT
WERE SAID ABOUT SARAH HOW COULD
COULD -- BUT I DID NOT KNOW HOW
BAD IT WAS.
A REAL PROBLEM HERE IS THE
PRICES KILLING THEMSELVES.
THEY JUST DON'T GET IT.
THEY ARE AN INDUSTRY IN DECLINE
AND THEY ARE IN DECLINE BECAUSE
HALF OF AMERICA, THE
CONSERVATIVE HALF, DOES NOT
TRUST THEM.
EVENTS LIKE THIS JUST MAKE IT
WORSE AND THE PRESS STILL
DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HOW BAD LAST
NIGHT WAS.
WHEN YOU HEAR JUAN WILLIAMS
DEFENDED, WHEN YOU HEAR ONE OF
THE MOST REASONABLE LIBERALS
DEFENDED, AS YOU POINTED OUT,
LAURA, SCAN THE CROWD, THE
LAUGHTER, THE PRESS DOESN'T GET
IT.
>> Laura: LEE, I WANT TO GO TO
YOU.
YOU ARE MY OLD EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER AND RADIO AND PARTNER
IN CRIME 17 YEARS AGO, BACK TO
LAW SCHOOL.
LEE, IT WAS YOUR IDEA TO PLAY A
LOT OF THESE SOUND BITES
TONIGHT.
YOU SAID, A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T
SEE THIS, THEY HAVE TO SEE JUST
HOW VULGAR AND FLOW IT WAS TO
UNDERSTAND HOW FAR WE'VE SUNK
WITH THE MEDIA AND THE SO-CALLED
DEFENSE OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT.
THE DOUBLE STANDARD HERE IS
GLARING FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO
SEE IT, ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF
WOMEN, THE ME TOO MOVEMENT, "I
AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR," ALL OF
THAT.
>> WHAT'S FUNNY, LAURA, FOR THE
LAST FEW WEEKS WE'VE HEARD THE
PRESS EXCORIATED FOR LACK OF
VETTING BY THE WHITE HOUSE.
THEY DIDN'T DO A PROPER JOB WITH
THE VETERANS AFFAIRS GENTLEMAN
WHO WAS ULTIMATELY DISMISSED AND
YET THEY COULD NOT BUT THIS
COMEDIAN?
DON'T THEY HAVE YOUTUBE?
DON'T THEY HAVE GOOGLE?
CAN'T THEY WATCH THIS WOMAN'S
PERFORMANCE ON "THE DAILY SHOW"?
WHAT IS FASCINATING, LAURA, WHAT
JUAN WILLIAMS MUST COME AND 95%
OF JOKES WERE IN BETTER
REPUBLICANS.
SHE DID NOT SPREAD IT AROUND.
SHE TARGETED MOSTLY WOMEN.
67 MINUTES STRAIGHT, VILE,
REPULSIVE JOKES, THEY WERE
AIMED AT WOMEN.
THESE WERE NOT JUST JOKES.
IT WAS LIKE A PUBLIC SHAMING.
IT WAS JUST DISGRACEFUL.
TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIENCE LAUGH,
AND WE WISH WE COULD SEE WHO WAS
LAUGHING AND AT WHAT, BECAUSE
THESE JOKES WERE DISGRACEFUL,
AND THE LAUGHS CONTINUED AND
THEY CONTINUED.
ON THE KEY HERE, LAURA, THERE
WAS A WINNER HERE.
THEY WERE TWO WINNERS.
ONE WAS A COMEDIAN BECAUSE MY
GOODNESS, SHE'S GOING TO GET A
REALLY BIG DEAL WITH HBO.
SHE'LL BE FOLLOWING BILL MAHER
IN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS.
SHE WAS PLAYING TO HER AUDIENCE,
ILLIBERAL SET OF JOURNALISTS,
AND TRUMP, BY THE WAY, WAS A
WINNER TO COME OF THE SMARTEST
MAN NOT IN THE ROOM.
HE WAS PLAYING TO HIS AUDIENCE,
AMERICA, AMERICA.
>> Laura: JEFFREY LORD, YOU
WROTE A PIECE FOR "THE
SPECTATOR" ABOUT THIS.
THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT
THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND BEATING
BACK THOSE WHO WOULD WANT TO
INTIMIDATE PEOPLE FROM SPEAKING
OUT ON ANY ISSUE, YET THERE WAS
SOMETHING DESPERATELY MISSING AT
SATURDAY NIGHT'S DINNER.
>> THAT'S RIGHT, FIRST I HAVE TO
TELL YOU, BREAKING NEWS, THE
FEDERAL ELECTIONS COMMISSION IS
STARTING TO INVESTIGATE THE
WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS
ASSOCIATION FOR A MULTIMILLION
DOLLAR CONTRIBUTION TO THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN IN 2020.
YOU SEE THESE CLUBS THAT YOU
PLAY, ALL THROUGH THE ELECTION
SEASON, I GUARANTEE.
>> Laura: LET'S GO THROUGH
2018, FIRST, JEFFREY.
>> [LAUGHS]
GOOD POINT.
YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, LAURA.
THIS IS THE KIND OF THING -- AND
YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT I ASKED THE
PRESIDENT OF THE WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENTS ASSOCIATION
SEVERAL DAYS AHEAD OF THE DINNER
WHETHER THEY WOULD SPECIFICALLY
BEAT OFFENDING CONSERVATIVES BY
NAME, I INCLUDED YOU,
SEAN HANNITY, KEVIN WILLIAMS,
AND I GOT NO RESPONSE.
TOTAL, COMPLETE SILENCE.
THIS IS THE SERIOUS THING HERE.
BASICALLY, THIS BOILS DOWN TO
FREE SPEECH FOR ME BUT NOT FOR
THE PARADE WHEN PUSH COMES TO
SHOVE, THEY ARE NOT FAIR FOR
CONSERVATIVES.
THAT IS A REAL SERIOUS PROBLEM.
YOU SEE IT NOT JUST IN
TELEVISION AND RADIO BUT YOU SEE
IT ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES.
GOOD LORD, WHEN BENJI PERIO
NEEDS SERIOUS POLICE PROTECTION
AND THERE IS A RIOT TO GIVE A
SPEECH IN A COLLEGE CAMPUS, OR
ANN COULTER HAS TO CANCEL
SOMETHING, BECAUSE OF A THREAT
OF VIOLENCE, WHERE ARE THESE
PEOPLE?
THERE IS NOT A PEEP TO BE HEARD
FROM THEM AND IT'S DISGRACEFUL.
>> Laura: ARI, I WANT TO GO TO
YOU.
WHETHER IT IS THIS COMEDIAN
RIDICULING AN ABORTION OR
TALKING ABOUT KNOCKING THE BABY
OUT, THE FIRST DAUGHTER
IVANKA TRUMP IS DESCRIBED IN THE
MOST DISGUSTING MANNER, I THINK
THOSE ARE GIFTS TO AMERICANS WHO
MIGHT BE KIND OF -- OH, IT'S A
MIDTERM ELECTION CYCLE, I WANT
TO GET OUT AND VOTE.
I THINK THE DEMOCRATS TEND TO
ALWAYS TAKE IT TOO FAR.
THEY GO TOO FAR TO THE LEFT AND
THEY END UP OFFENDING PEOPLE WHO
MIGHT NOT EVEN BE ALL THAT
POLITICAL BUT THEY FIND THIS
GROSS.
THEY FIND IT'S GROSS.
THIS NEW MELANIA POLL, LOOKS
LIKE 16,000 REGISTERED VOTERS
