At the top of Monday's NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams proclaimed: "Firestorm. A Congressman's words about rape rocket across the country...women's issues are front and center again."
Introducing the lead story moments later, Williams announced how
"suddenly" Republican Todd Akin's comments "exploded well beyond the
borders of Missouri."
Correspondent Andrea Mitchell began her report by nationalizing the
gaffe made by Akin during a local news interview: "Republicans fear
their hopes for the White House and control of the Senate could turn on
what happened at a St. Louis TV station..." Mitchell later touted: "In a race where the President had a 15-point advantage with women voters in the last NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Republicans were reeling."
On Tuesday's Today,
Capitol Hill correspondent Kelly O'Donnell echoed Mitchell: "Republican
leaders now call Akin a threat to their goal of winning control of the
Senate and taking the White House."
On Nightly News, after noting that Mitt Romney called the
remarks "wrong and offensive," Mitchell attempted to link Paul Ryan to
Akin's views: "Ryan – who cosponsored a law with Akin that critics say
would outlaw all abortions, even in cases of rape – called Akin today
trying to deliver the same message."
Immediately following Mitchell, Williams brought in political director
Chuck Todd and feigned ignorance as to how the media-hyped incident
became such a controversy: "And Chuck, just to repeat here, why did this
get so much bigger so quickly than just a senate race in Missouri?"
Todd responded in part: "President Obama has been running ads attacking
Romney on issues of access to contraception, the funding of Planned
Parenthood. There is already a wide gender gap. They [Republicans]
didn't want it to get worse."
Here is a full transcript of Mitchell's August 20 Nightly News report:
7:00PM ET TEASE:
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Firestorm. A Congressman's words about rape rocket
across the country and while fellow Republicans spent the day urging him
to quit his Senate race, women's issues are front and center again.
7:01PM ET SEGMENT:
WILLIAMS: It was an interview with a candidate on television, the kind
of thing that happens every day during this campaign season but when the
questioning turned to abortion in the case of rape, the Republican
candidate for U.S. Senate in Missouri answered in a way he came to
regret. And suddenly it exploded well beyond the borders of Missouri in
this campaign season where every word counts. It's where we begin
tonight with NBC's Andrea Mitchell.
ANDREA MITCHELL: Republicans fear their hopes for the White House and
control of the Senate could turn on what happened at a St. Louis TV
station when the host asked Missouri Republican Senate front-runner Todd
Akin, a sitting Congressman, about abortion.
UNKNOWN INTERVIEWER: What about in the case of rape? Should it be legal or not?
TODD AKIN: It seems to me first of all from what I understand from
doctors that’s really rare. If it's a legitimate rape the female body
has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume that
maybe that didn't work or something. You know, I think there should be
some punishment but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not
attacking the child.
MITCHELL:
Mitt Romney quickly called The National Review Online and said Akin's
comments were insulting, inexcusable, frankly wrong and offensive. And
NBC News has learned Paul Ryan – who cosponsored a law with Akin that
critics say would outlaw all abortions, even in cases of rape – called
Akin today trying to deliver the same message. Later, in a coordinated
Republican effort to force Akin out, Romney increased the pressure on
WMUR.
MITT ROMNEY: The thing he should consider is what is in the best
interests of the things he believes most deeply, what will help the
country at this critical time.
MITCHELL: Republican Senate Campaign Chairman Senator John Cornyn told
Akin he'll pull the plug on millions of dollars of campaign funds if he
stays in. But Akin later told Sean Hannity's radio show he won't quit
all though he did back track on rape.
AKIN: I had heard from medical reports that rape is such a traumatic
type of thing that it -- that there is a reaction. But I, you know,
though, that's wrong.
MITCHELL: Democrats, led by the President, sought to take advantage.
BARACK OBAMA: Rape is rape. And the idea that we should be parsing and
qualifying and slicing what types of rape we're talking about doesn't
make sense to the American people. And certainly doesn't make sense to
me.
MITCHELL: The biggest beneficiary Akin's opponent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill.
CLAIRE MCCASKILL: I don't think this is somebody that most of the moderate Republicans in this state can support.
MITCHELL:
The biology is not in doubt. Girls and women who are raped have about a
5% chance of getting pregnant no different from unprotected consensual
sex. The politics are also clear. In a race where the President had a
15-point advantage with women voters in the last NBC News/Wall Street
Journal poll, Republicans were reeling. Tonight conservative Republicans
are increasing the pressure. Everyone from Sean Hannity to Ann Coulter
to party chairman Reince Priebus publicly saying that Akin should go
before he does permanent damage to the Republican campaign. Brian.
WILLIAMS: Andrea Mitchell from our D.C. newsroom starting us off. Andrea thanks.