White House Declined Requests for Sunday Show Interviews on Uvalde School Shooting

Katherine Huggins of Mediaite reports that officials at the White House turned down CBS, CNN and Fox News requests and declined to appear on Sunday’s news programs in order to address the school massacre in Uvalde (Texas).

Maybe they thought it would clash with the president’s visit to the scene. Or they just thought it would save them from committing Sunday gaffes. 

On CNN’sState of the Union Dana Bash, host of the show, complained that it is difficult to believe in change. “President Biden is on his way here to Uvalde this morning. He will try to comfort grieving families, as he’s done so many times before. Enough times that the political reality seems to have set in.”

She added “We asked for a White House official to join us to talk about solutions this morning, but no one was made available. The Texas governor and lieutenant governor as well as the two U.S. Senators were present. Senators declined as well.

CNN’s Dana Bash says: “We requested a White House official join us today to discuss solutions. But, no one was available.” The Texas governor and lieutenant governor as well as the two U.S. Senators were present. Senators declined as well. pic.twitter.com/uk5T5n3sss

— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) May 30, 2022

CBS: Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan noted “the White House did decline our invitation for a member of the administration to come on the show today, saying they were leaving it up to Congress to act.”

Mediaite was told by a spokesperson from Fox News that interview requests were not allowed at the White House. Fox News Sunday as well.

On NBC Meet the Press host Chuck Todd avoided any mention of being turned down by Team Biden, but underlined that “We asked each of the Senate’s 50 Republicans, every single one of them, to join us and none agreed on this weekend.” The Second Amendment wouldn’t have been validated by Todd.

“We can expect to hear more calls for thoughts and prayers and that’s it because this current version of the Republican Party is being held hostage by a vocal minority obsessed with an absolute right that does not exist” – @ChuckTodd #MTP. pic.twitter.com/JXRKhTpZ2S

— Brent Baker 🇺🇦 (@BrentHBaker) May 29, 2022

Todd is a rager who calls it “interviews” and hurls at Republicans. Anyone who’s seen Todd would know why they wouldn’t accept. He gets particularly mad at those who claim that the media is liberal.

Todd instead interviewed Senator Cory Booker (D.N.J.), and Pat McCrory. McCrory is a former GOP governor in North Carolina, and was a frequent interviewee. Meet the Press pundit. Booker’s hardest statement was made by Todd: 

TODD: You see, none of these laws (the red flag law and the expanded background search) would have accomplished anything. These two 18-year-olds legal purchased every item they used including the large amount of ammunition, body armor and other accessories. You feel like you are solving a problem but not the root cause.

Booker continued pushing for his reforms and said that “this isn’t a one-move fix.” It must be done many times.