Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) blasted The New York Times on Thursday evening after the Times caved to leftists online and within their news organization and issued a statement saying that they should have never published Cotton’s op-ed, despite the fact that the idea presented in the piece is supported by the majority of the American public.
“I can tell you my op-ed doesn’t meet The New York Times’ standards, it far exceeds their standards, which are normally full of left-wing sophomoric dribble,” Cotton said. “And I find it amazing that in the last 24 hours, the editor of ‘The New York Times’ and the publisher of ‘The New York Times’ have both defended the decision to publish the op-ed, but in the face of the woke mob of woke kids that are in their news room, they tucked tail and they ran, they confessed and said they were gonna go into reeducation camp and they were gonna cut the number of op-eds they run, and for that I will say to the world, you’re welcome for getting ‘The New York Times’ to run less of the garbage that you normally see in their pages.”
On the notion that deploying the military to restore order in Democrat-controlled cities was somehow not needed, Cotton said, “I bet a lot of business owners in midtown Manhattan who had their business smashed by people who brought crowbars and bricks to a peaceful protest would beg to differ that the New York Police Department, not because of their own faults, but because of their hapless mayor, couldn’t protect their property, their livelihoods, and in some cases, many were threatened or felt threatened for their lives as well.”
“But look, ‘The New York Times’ has run editorials by Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, by the Taliban, no problem there, but run one editorial from Tom Cotton on a position that’s supported by 58% of the American people, that we have a duty to protect our citizen’s lives and livelihoods, well, we are going to review our processes and we’re gonna cut the number of op-eds that we run,” Cotton continued. “A child mob truly is in charge at ‘The New York Times’ tonight.”
WATCH:
After NYT staffers scolded the paper for printing an editorial they disagree with, the paper caves (though first defended it). Sen. Tom Cotton calls out the "woke mob" in his first interview since the controversy. pic.twitter.com/me8sch3ymT
— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) June 5, 2020
TRANSCRIPT:
FOX NEWS HOST MARTHA MACCALLUM: Tonight at about 700 paratroopers from the 82nd airborne division are returning to Fort Bragg. They were position in the D.C. area as a possible response to riots there, an idea that President Trump has since seemed to back off on, and one that was pushed by Republican Senator Tom Cotton in a op-ed in “The New York Times” calling to send in the troops.
When he submitted this and they decided to run it, the staffers at that time, some of them, lashed out over printing this piece, saying that the use of active-duty troops endangers their lives, and the lives of all black people, according to some of the quotes in these pieces. The editorial page editor responded to that criticism, tweeting this: “Times’ opinion owes it to our readers to show them counter arguments, particularly those made by people in a position to set policy.” But then tonight, just a short time ago, a spokesperson for “The New York Times” is singing a totally different tune, saying, “We’ve examined the piece and the process leading up to its publication. This review made it clear that a rushed editorial process led to the publication of an op-ed that did not meet our standards.” Okay.
So here to react tonight, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas joins me now. Senator, regardless of the content and what anyone thinks about your content, I was heartened by the fact that “The New York Times” said this is a place where you want to exhibit different opinions. It is the opinion page. The op-ed page. What do you make of the newest sort of walk-back on that, saying, “Oh, you know what, it was rushed. We made a rushed decision. We never should have printed it”?
SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): I don’t know what to make of it. I can tell you my op-ed doesn’t meet The New York Times’ standards; it far exceeds their standards, which are normally full of left-wing sophomoric dribble. And I find it amazing that in the last 24 hours, the editor of “The New York Times” and the publisher of “The New York Times” have both defended their decision to publish this op-ed, but in the face of the woke mob, of woke kids that are in their news room, they tucked tail and they ran, they confessed and said they were gonna go into reeducation camp and they were gonna cut the number of op-eds they run, and for that I will say to the world, you’re welcome for getting “The New York Times” to run less of the garbage that you normally see in their pages.
MACCALLUM: Well, you know, I think they should, as all media outlets and newspapers should, strive to show different opinions on their pages. It is interesting that apparently Jack Dorsey of Twitter stopped following “The New York Times” as a sign of protest to your piece. Also Eliot Engel, who is obviously up for his election again as a congressman for New York, says that he’s decided that he will not seek the editorial backing of “The New York Times,” which is interesting because Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has just backed the opponent who’s running against him, so who knows whether he would’ve gotten it anyway. But to the content that you were writing about that provoked this controversy, here is the police commissioner in New York asking about the underlying subject that you wrote about. Watch this.
MACCALLUM: So, there is a lot of push-back to this idea that New York City, that it would provoke things, that it would make things worse and potentially more dangerous. What do you say to that?
COTTON: Yeah, well, I bet a lot of those business owners in midtown Manhattan who had their business smashed by people who brought crowbars and bricks to a peaceful protest would probably beg to differ that the New York Police Department, not because of their own faults, but because of their hapless mayor couldn’t protect their property, their livelihoods, in some cases many were threatened or felt threatened for their lives as well. But look, “The New York Times” has run editorials by Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, by the Taliban, no problem there, but run one editorial from Tom Cotton on a position that’s supported by 58% of the American people, that we have a duty to protect our citizen’s lives and livelihoods, well, we are going to review our processes and we’re gonna cut the number of op-eds that we run. A child mob truly is in charge at “The New York Times” tonight.
MACCALLUM: As you also point out, it’s an action that has been used by many presidents in the past to protect people in various situations, during the civil rights movement as well. To the notion, you are a veteran yourself, served in Iraq, and I wonder what you think about the National Guard because Governor Cuomo has kept 13,000 National Guard, he said … de Blasio didn’t want them, and that he would have to override them to send them in, but it seems to me that they are the people who are suited the best for this line of defense, no?
COTTON: That’s right, Martha. And as I’ve said all week long that local law enforcement are on the frontline of protecting their communities. But as we’ve seen in too many places, local law enforcement was either outnumbered or they had hapless Democratic politicians that were constraining them from protecting livelihoods and lives. The next step is the National Guard. In many places the National Guard has been called out and helped to quell the rioting and the looting that was hijacking peaceful protesters in places like Minneapolis or even in the nation’s capital. But as you said, there are many historic examples that could be used [where] you use federal troops. That’s simply a fact.
MACCALLUM: Well, you make a good point. I’m sure a lot of those store owners would have loved to have the protection of the National Guard and still have their stores intact as New York starts to reopen. Also, I would just note that Mayor de Blasio was booed today at the New York celebration of life for George Floyd, to the point where he really couldn’t speak at that. Senator cotton, thank you very much.