NBC’s Lester Holt and Kristen Welker are set to host the third Republican presidential debate. If Holt or Welker’s past reporting is any indication of what the debate will look like, just know it’ll be oozing with liberal bias.
Let’s start with Holt, an NBC veteran who has covered his fair share of breaking political news. Holt aired deceptive coverage of the Ma’Khia Bryant shooting back in 2021.
Bryant was fatally shot after she was seen lunging at another girl with a knife in her hand, and the entire incident was caught on camera. Holt showed portions of the video, but left out part of the 911 call in which the caller said of Bryant, “she’s trying to stab us.” The video footage played by Holt also did not show Bryant holding her knife.
Holt also got into a tiff with former Attorney General Bill Barr over Black Lives Matter. Barr explained to Holt the reason police are three times more likely to stop black men for a traffic violation is because “police go where the crime is.” Holt questioned Barr on his criticism of Black Lives Matter as an organization and expressed his concern for so-called systemic racism and police being biased against black people.
And if Holt’s personal habits of reporting weren’t enough to sound the alarm on how he will moderate the debate, just take his 2016 performance that was widely criticized. Holt consistently tried to fact check Trump, who eventually shot him down. Trump also criticized Holt for not asking a single question about Hillary Clinton’s missing emails or her role in Benghazi where four Americans were killed. While Holt did let both Trump and Clinton run over their allotted time (making way for great content), overall, his ire toward Trump was palpable.
Then there’s Welker, who moderated a 2020 debate. Welker’s family has previously donated nearly $20,000 to former President Barack Obama and $3,300 to President Joe Biden’s campaign, according to a New York Post report. The family also reportedly made contributions to Clinton and The Democratic National Committee (DNC). While Welker’s parents’ actions do not necessarily reflect her beliefs, the optics of having a moderator whose parents shelled out thousands for one of the candidates on the stage in 2020 seems a bit convoluted.
But Welker’s family’s donations are unnecessary in trying to determine her political affinities. While hosting “Meet the Press,” Welker let out an audible “oof” when MSNBC political analyst Steve Kornacki said a recent poll showed “nothing but good news” for the former president.
Welker also ran cover for Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. Both representatives were banned from visiting Israel in 2019, and Trump tweeted it was a great decision.
“They hate Israel & all Jewish people,” Trump had tweeted. Welker then “fact-checked” Trump, saying neither women “ever said that they hate Israel or the Israeli people” but instead have been “critical of the Israeli government.”
“They have made some controversial comments about Israeli’s,” Welker added.
Omar used an anti-Semitic trope to describe Jews as being “all about the Benjamins” before saying AIPAC was funding Republican support for Israel. She later apologized for her comments following bipartisan condemnation.