On Thursday's Newsroom, CNN's Rick Sanchez pressed Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee about how, as a constituent was asking her a question at a health care town hall meeting, Jackson-Lee made a call on her cell phone, demanding to know "What were you thinking, Congresswoman?" The Texas Democrat bizarrely suggested the video of her on the phone was "doctored."
SANCHEZ: Here you have people who have come to hear you speak. They are asking you a question, and it appears on the video like you're not giving them their due. How do you explain that?
JACKSON-LEE: I'm so glad you said it. It appears on the video. Maybe it's a doctored video.
After asking if the Jackson-Lee had apologized to the woman, Sanchez followed up on her "doctored video" accusation: "Do you think the video was doctored? Do you think the video may have been doctored?" Jackson-Lee answered by specifically calling the cell phone issue a "distraction" from her priorities:
JACKSON-LEE: Let me say this- we who are members of congress who believe in democracy are not going to focus on distractions. We're really going to focus on giving the people the opportunity to express themselves in any way they desire-
SANCHEZ: Well- well, look at it. I mean- let's- I'll tell you what- let's play it and you tell us if this is you or not you and if we've made a mistake by showing video- that may have been doctored- is there anything about this video that isn't reflective of what happened?
JACKSON-LEE I know nothing about the video- I know nothing about the video, Rick, and I'm not going to comment on it.
-Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.