Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) thinks the media got played by President Donald Trump in his multiplying requests for foreign governments to investigate the President’s political opponents.
During an economic opportunity event Friday in the Florida Keys, Rubio dismissed Trump’s call for China to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, according to a Miami Herald report. Rubio said that the media played into Trump’s hands in its coverage of the sprawling Ukraine scandal that led to the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
“I don’t know if that’s a real request or him just needling the press knowing that you guys are going to get outraged by it,” Rubio said. “He’s pretty good at getting everybody fired up and he’s been doing that for a while and the media responded right on task.”
After a reporter pointed out that Rubio had been one of the biggest critics of China and its human rights abuses, Rubio doubled down on his doubts that Trump’s request for China is “real” and argued that “he did it to gig [reporters].”
“I think he did it to provoke you to ask me and others and get outraged by it,” Rubio said. “He plays it like a violin and everybody falls right in, that’s not a real request.”
When asked whether he supports an impeachment inquiry, Rubio dodged.
“Here’s a good idea, why don’t we wait for all the information to come forward before people start making decisions or pronouncements in one direction or the other, rather than just reflexively circling the wagons or rushing to judgment,” Rubio said. “How about waiting for everything to come forward, look at it all, and then you make a judgment of what’s in the best interest of the country?”
Watch Rubio’s remarks below:
This morning in the Florida Keys, @marcorubio was asked about the President calling on China to investigate @JoeBiden – see his answer ?@CBSMiami @MiamiHerald @alextdaugherty @MarcACaputo @PatriciaMazzei pic.twitter.com/3t1nTMWixn
— Jim DeFede (@DeFede) October 4, 2019
