Rep. Elise Stefanik, who is making the rounds plugging her new book titled, Poisoned Ivies: The Inside Account of the Academic and Moral Rot at America’s Elite Universities, which Slate described as a bit of "alternative reality," memorializing her 2023/2024 campus politics fights.
After promoting her book on this Sunday's State of the Union with Jake Tapper on CNN, Tapper managed to segue from her attacks on college presidents to Trump's latest genocidal threats on Truth Social, Stefanik was none too happy about it and could only respond by repeatedly lying about what Trump wrote while also trying to divert the conversation back to her attacks on universities.
TAPPER: You were praised by many in the Jewish community when you criticized the college presidents who refused to condemn students for chanting "From the river to the sea," which many Jews interpret to be, and you agreed -- you characterized it as a genocide, a call for genocide, to wipe out all the Jews in Israel "From the river to the sea."
So just to be clear, you believe that wiping out an entire civilization is genocidal and nobody should make a call to do such a thing?
STEFANIK: Yes, of course.
And that's why the question I asked, which was, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university's code of conduct, yes or no? I worded it because it was a very simple straightforward question. It was not a political one. And the world heard as these universities equivocated saying it depends on the context or it's a context- dependent decision.
It is not. And we have seen that they didn't think there was anything wrong with those answers. That's why a billion people -- there were a billion views of that testimony and it created an earthquake in higher education.
And, importantly, these schools are now having to reckon with this. That's why earlier in the show, when you pointed out the Yale report, that is a step in the right direction, is starting to address internal issues. But let's see if there's action taking -- taken on these university campuses, because we have had to take very specific steps from the Department of Education and from Congress to hold them accountable.
TAPPER: Right.
What did you think when President Trump threatened to obliterate the entire Iranian civilization?
STEFANIK: He was focusing on the Iranian regime. And what did it do? It brought the Iranians to the table. It led to the cease-fire.
We know that President Trump has very strong statements when it comes to his tweets, but it has been targeted towards the Iranian terrorist regime.
TAPPER: He said the entire civilization will die.
STEFANIK: And it's very important to note that the -- I'm talking he was focused on the Iranian terrorist regime.
And, Jake, isn't it true that it brought the Iranians to the table to a cease-fire agreement?
TAPPER: I don't know.
STEFANIK: That is -- it did, because they had a cease-fire agreement going on for days.
And President Trump is correct to call out the Iranian terrorist regime, which has financed Hamas and Hezbollah, which I believe has led to some of the financing of these -- the skyrocketing antisemitism.
TAPPER: Yes, but I'm not talking about the regime.
STEFANIK: But that's -- Jake, you can ask this question, but the reality is it was targeted towards the Iranian terrorist regime. It was an effective tool to bring them to the table.
They have no cards.
TAPPER: Well...
STEFANIK: And, frankly, we're not going to see peace in the Middle East until we get rid of the Iranian terrorist regime.
TAPPER: He said -- quote -- "Your whole civilization will die tonight." He didn't say the regime will be wiped out. He said, "Your whole civilization will die tonight."
And I just have to say it's interesting that a 20-year-old college kid on a campus yelling "From the river to the sea," that's worthy of condemnation, but a president of the United States who actually has...
STEFANIK: You don't think it's worthy of condemnation?
TAPPER: I...
STEFANIK: You don't -- Jake, you don't think it's worthy of condemnation of students that are targeting Jewish students, that are physically assaulting them, that are spitting in their face, that are drawing swastikas on their doors, these students who have to hire security?
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: I don't need a lesson on what it's like to be a Jewish student.
STEFANIK: Well, but you're equivocating, like those university presidents.
TAPPER: No, I'm not equivocating at all. I'm not equivocating.
STEFANIK: You're equivocating with those university presidents.
TAPPER: I'm asking if you're equivocating.
STEFANIK: What I have said about President Trump's tweets is, it has been very targeted. I'm not equivocating.
TAPPER: No, not when it comes to college kids...
STEFANIK: I have been crystal clear in my condemnation of...
TAPPER: ... but when it comes to a president threatening to wipe out an entire civilization. I'm saying there's -- you're applying two different standards here.
And on, and on, and on it went with her continually claiming Trump wasn't really calling for genocide and Tapper repeating his words, and Stefanik attacking CNN and accusing Tapper of wanting to prop up the Iranian regime.
These liars all know how dangerous Trump is, and even after he's kicked some of them to the curb as he did with Stefanik, when he yanked her nomination for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations because their margins were too slim in the House to lose her, they still come on and defend the indefensible.
Disgusting. Shame on CNN for platforming her to begin with.
