ABC’s Stephanopoulos Rushes to Defend Obama’s Ebola Czar

During an appearance on Sunday’s Good Morning America, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos did his best to deflect criticism away from President Obama’s decision to name Ron Klain, former Chief of Staff to Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore, as his Ebola czar.

Speaking to weekend GMA host Dan Harris, Stephanopoulos insisted that “Ron Klain is an expert in communications, he's an expert in management. That's what the government needs right now.”

The ABC host’s defense of Klein came after Harris pointed how the appointment was coming “under fire, however, from some Republicans in Congress for the man he appointed, Ron Klain, who's got a political background and not a medical one.”

Unsurprisingly, Stephanopoulos dismissed such criticism, specifically Klain’s lack of medical expertise, and insisted that the United States doesn't need more medical experts dealing with Ebola:

You know you’ve got a lot of medical experts working on Ebola right now, but to the extent there is a crisis in the United States, which I don’t think there is, there’s a communications crisis and a management crisis inside the government. 

The former Clinton Communications Director ignored Klain’s long history as a Democratic insider and how that negates any claims that the Obama Administration wants the Ebola response to be bipartisan and apolitical. Instead, the ABC host eagerly portrayed him as an objective “expert in communications.” 

As the segment progressed, Harris pointed out that “some of the mismanagement and miscommunication from the government has created an atmosphere where this fear has been allowed to grow” but Stephanopoulos once again shifted blame away from the Obama administration: 

First of all, the big mistake, you have to go back to Texas Presbyterian Hospital. The fact that Thomas Duncan was not identified quickly as an Ebola patient, so many of the problems cascade from there. And also the fact that the CDC came out early and was so confident about stopping Ebola in its tracks, I think made people feel unnecessarily overconfident so then when you have two more infections people get really, really scared. 

Stephanopoulos refused to admit that the Obama administration is overseeing the nation’s Ebola response and provides guidance and instruction to agencies such as the CDC. Instead the GMA and This Week host preferred to give Obama a pass and place the blame squarely at the feet of the CDC and local Dallas health officials. 

See relevant transcript below. 

ABC’s Good Morning America

October 19, 2014

DAN HARRIS: But, George, let me bring you in here. There was a late night meeting at the White House last night. The president has now convened his top officials to start talking about this crisis. He also appointed an Ebola czar. He is under fire, however, from some Republicans in Congress for the man he appointed, Ron Klain, who's got a political background and not a medical one. Do the Republicans have a point here?

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Well I think the White House knew that they were going to get this criticism. You know you’ve got a lot of medical experts working on Ebola right now, but to the extent there is a crisis in the United States, which I don’t think there is, there’s a communications crisis and a management crisis inside the government. Ron Klain is an expert in communications, he's an expert in management. That's what the government needs right now. 

HARRIS: Dr. Besser has talked a lot about some of the unnecessary fear abroad in the country right now over Ebola. And it's been reported that the president is very unhappy with his own team. Can't we say that some of the mismanagement and miscommunication from the government has created an atmosphere where this fear has been allowed to grow? 

STEPHANOPOULOS: Sure, absolutely. First of all, the big mistake, you have to go back to Texas Presbyterian Hospital. The fact that Thomas Duncan was not identified quickly as an Ebola patient, so many of the problems cascade from there. And also the fact that the CDC came out early and was so confident about stopping Ebola in its tracks, I think made people feel unnecessarily overconfident so then when you have two more infections people get really, really scared.

But let's have some perspective here as Rich was just pointing out, it looks like those first 48 will get through the 21-day period. Most likely that other group of people being watched will get through their period. There have only been two infections here in the United States. With any luck it'll stay that way.