ABC, CBS, and NBC have set aside over 146 minutes [1] of air time on their morning and evening newscasts to the controversy surrounding a racist tirade by L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling. However, as of Wednesday morning, the Big Three networks have yet to pick up on a Tuesday scoop [2] from Buzzfeed's Andrew Kaczynski, who discovered "shocking racial comments" by a sitting Democratic congressman.
Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson unleashed on Senator Mitch McConnell and Clarence Thomas, and Republicans in general, on a radio program of the New Nation of Islam – a sect that holds [3] that "intermarriage or race mixing should be prohibited" and that blacks should be "allowed to establish a separate state or territory of their own - either on this continent or elsewhere." Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends on Wednesday devoted a full report to Rep. Thompson's bigoted remarks: [MP3 audio available here; video below]
BRIAN KILMEADE: One congressman, [Bennie] Thompson, said, you know what? We've got to give the players more power – and the owners more power – to oust this guy, and to have more control over what happens in this league – because you do need a two-thirds vote to get rid of a guy like Donald Sterling in this case.
Meanwhile, you have to wonder if Congressman Thompson is asking for a double standard when it comes to freedom of speech, and saying things that are flat out, in my mind, offensive.
[Fox News Graphic: "Full Court Press: Dem Wants NBA To Have More Power Over Owners"]
STEVE DOOCY: Yeah. He was on Nation of Islam radio. This is a Democrat congressman from the great state of Mississippi. He says that Clarence Thomas, the African-American justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, is an 'Uncle Tom.' He says Mitch McConnell is a racist. He says Republicans are anti-ObamaCare because the President is black.
No, that's not true. A lot of people don't like ObamaCare because it's expensive, and they lost their doctor and things like that.
Anyway, here is the congressman from Mississippi saying stuff like that.
[Fox News Graphic: "Shocking Racial Remarks: Rep. Thompson's Own Personal Foul; Thompson Has Made Racially Charged Comments; Congressman's Racist Attack"]
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D), MISSISSIPPI (from New Nation of Islam radio program, April 27): Mitch McConnell would have the audacity to tell the President of the United States – not just the chief executive, but the commander-in-chief – that 'I don't care what you come up with, we're going to be against it.' Now, if that's not a racist statement, I don't know what is.
There is Uncle Tom Clarence Thomas – this man doesn't even like black people. He doesn't like being black because every decision where color has something to do with it, he went against it.
KILMEADE: He also says he worked under three presidents – Clinton and Bush – and they were never treated like this. Really? George Bush's intellect was slapped around every day. The majority leader [Senator Harry Reid] called him a loser, and I can't believe – Bill Clinton, in particular, was impeached! And you saw the way bill Clinton was treated, in many respects. Forget about the way they're looked at now. I don't think any of them had an easy time.
ANNA KOOIMAN: Yeah. Congressman Thompson goes on to say that this anti-government attitude is completely new just because we have an African-American president. That's the only reason why. We did reach out to his office, and haven't heard back for a comment.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, Fox and Friends is the only broadcast network newscast or cable news channel program to air a segment on the congressman's inflammatory attack.
This isn't the first time the Democratic congressman has raised
eyebrows. In 2007, Thompson, who was then chairman of the House Homeland
Security Committee, advised his aides [4] to get
immunized against several diseases, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B,
diphtheria, tetanus and influenza, before taking a trip to a NASCAR
race.
Rick Moran took the Mississippi Democrat to task in a Wednesday item [5] on the American Thinker website, labeling Rep. Thompson "the black Donald Sterling," and pointed out that the politician "will go to work today as if nothing happened. And as far as the media is concerned, nothing did." Time will certainly tell.
— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter. [6]