Maggie Haberman Reveals Which Part Of Trump’s Bombshell Presser She Found ‘Astonishing’ To CNN’s Anderson Cooper
CNN commentator and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman revealed she thought “one of the more astonishing” parts of President-elect Donald Trump’s bombshell press conference was his response to rioters who assaulted police.
Trump held a press conference at his Mar-a-lago resort Tuesday that was chock full of bonkers moments that triggered intense media reactions and more than a little befuddlement.
Trump’s stream-of-consciousness opening remarks were followed by a grilling by reporters who drilled down on Trump’s stated plans to take over Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Canada — by “force” (military or economic) if necessary.
He was also asked about his plan to pardon January 6 rioters, including one reporter who asked “Will you pardon anyone who attacked a police officer?”
Trump responded with a lengthy series of digressions that included bizarre and false claims but did not include ruling out pardoning offenders who injured police with violence.
On Tuesday night’s edition of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, Cooper asked Haberman about the exchange, and she called it “astonishing”:
COOPER: Maggie, there has been this expectation the president-elect wouldn’t pardon rioters convicted of assaulting police officers on January 6th, more than about 150 or so officers were injured.
Today, he didn’t seem to rule that or he didn’t rule it out. Do you think it’s going to — what will make the distinction if and when he chooses those pardons, do you think?
HABERMAN: It’s not clear, Anderson. It was one of the more astonishing parts of that press conference, although, I will say the assumption that he wouldn’t do that was just that, an assumption. He has never said that he wouldn’t. And he likes to leave himself maximum room. He is really testing what the public is going to tolerate with this suggestion about pardons for people connected to January 6th.
Now, what some of his advisers were saying a year ago or six months ago was, well, some of these people who were arrested, you know, were barely in the building or were not part of it or were and so forth. And that’s why this is going to be acceptable to people if we issue these clemency grants.
But, you know, suggesting — pivoting from he got asked a question specifically about a hundred — roughly 140 police officers who were injured that day. And would he issue clemency grants to people who were involved in those incidents? And he answered by saying, Ashli Babbitt, a supporter of his, was the only person who was killed.
So, you know, we will see where this goes. But the question of exactly who gets clemency here in terms of the pool of people connected to J-6 and who doesn’t, has been a very hard subject to pin down for the last couple of months, I think, because there is not agreement within Trump’s world on what to do.
COOPER: All right, Maggie Haberman, thanks, Kaitlan.
Watch above via Anderson Cooper 360.
