Earlier on Tuesday, former and potentially future President Donald Trump revealed that he had been sent a target letter by Special Counsel Jack Smith related to the investigation of January 6. CNN was so beyond hyped up about the news that the network reached a pathetic low, even for them. As NewsBusters' Alex Christy highlighted, Dana Bash at "Inside Politics" was beside herself as she gushed about how Smith had stopped at a Subway for lunch.
Earlier Bash claimed "They clearly wanted us to see him and that image to be very different from what we saw in the former president's post , which is that he's a deranged individual." Evan Perez gushed "he stood in line like everybody else" (3/3) pic.twitter.com/WBUS0oBsAg
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 18, 2023
Bash was just gushing about how it "turns out even Jack Smith can't resist a $5 footlong," as she spoke to "new and exclusive CNN video" of the special counsel going to lunch, though she also pointed out he was "declining, though, to respond to reporters' questions about today's big news, a target letter sent to the former president of the United States."
As she spoke to Evan Perez, also with the network, Bash appeared completely unaware of how unimportant such details were, as she offered that "I won't ask you all of the less important things about what he got... and how he paid and all that," which is indeed "less important." What she did find important, though, is "the imagery here" of a man patronizing a Subway to get lunch.
"They clearly wanted us to see him and that image to be very different from what we saw in the former president's post, which is that he's a deranged individual," Bash offered.
Perez played along when it comes to Smith's lunch habits, though he was unable to provide all the information that Bash was looking for. "Yeah. I mean, look, you can, I can count probably five or six sandwich shops between his office and that location that he was at earlier today," Perez offered. "He was--he stood in line like everybody else, and I couldn't tell whether it was a footlong or is it a -- or was it a six-inch sub, but look, I mean, we now are on watch for when this potential indictment is coming," he said.
Trump has so far posted two TruthSocial posts addressing the target letter and his frustration with the process. While Bash may criticize Trump, he's currently the frontrunner in the Republican presidential primary, as he leads with a spread of +33.5, according to RealClearPolitics.
The former and potentially future president also often likes to point out to his followers that while he may the one being indicted, he is merely in the way and the face of the American people that the left is looking to target.
As if those few minutes of useless banter weren't enough, "CNN News Central" also picked up on the story, during which Bash still continued to speak about the "imagery" during a full panel discussion.
With a straight look on his face, co-host John King offered that "Jack Smith going to Subway today is a message to Donald Trump. Donald Trump tries to intimidate people, he bullies people, he tries to scare you away. That was Jack Smith with no words and a simple $5 sub in his hand saying 'I'm here, I'm not going anywhere.'" Keep in mind, Smith didn't actually say anything.
"Yeah, the imagery was intentional and spoke volume," Bash parroted.
John King marvels, "Jack Smith going to Subway today is a message to Donald Trump. ... Jack Smith with no words and a simple $5 sub in his hand saying 'I'm not going anywhere.'" Dana Bash adds "the imagery was intentional and spoke volume." (2/2) pic.twitter.com/nDmd952R2c
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 18, 2023
For what it's worth, $5 Subway sandwiches are no longer available. The chain advertised $6 footlong sandwiches in 2016, and only briefly brought back $5 foot long sandwiches in 2020, if they bought two.
The ridiculous coverage is even more noteworthy in comparison to how Jake Tapper, also of CNN, could not handle the network showing footage of Trump interacting with supporters at Versailles Cuban bakery in Miami last month. Trump had just pled not guilty to 37 charges brought by Smith for his handling of classified documents.
Tapper demanded to "the folks in the control room, I don't need to see any more of that. He's trying to turn it into a spectacle, a campaign ad, that's enough of that, we've seen it already."
Jake Tapper, Russia collusion liar and propagandist, loses it over American people not accepting the ruling party's attempt to turn Trump into a political prisoner. https://t.co/f2Xs1aprIf
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) June 14, 2023
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