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Watch MSNBC Host Ask: Would Michelle Get Free Pass If She’d Ripped Off Laura Bush’s Speech?

Watch MSNBC Host Ask: Would Michelle Get Free Pass If She’d Ripped Off Laura Bush’s Speech?

In this clip, MSNBC’s Joy Reid questions the double standard that Republicans hold Michelle Obama and Melania Trump to. While conservatives are quick to excuse Melania for plagiarizing a speech that the First Lady gave eight years ago and even willing to do the mental gymnastics required to somehow blame Democratic nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the gaffe.

“I’ll start by quoting a guy called Tom Nichols, who’s a conservative and very prominent on Twitter, who said, ‘Ask yourself if Michelle Obama would have been given a pass had she done the same thing in 2008?’

I think we’re all very quickly passing the responsibility onto staff. Clearly, this is a campaign that is poorly staffed. I think that has been clear for a long time. But they sent Melania Trump over to Matt Lauer to say that she wrote it [the speech].

But we’re immediately dismissing the idea that she had anything to do with it. I doubt that we would dismiss the idea that Michelle Obama had anything to do with it.”

Indeed, even the mainstream media is quick to hold Melania to a different standard than Michelle Obama, possibly due to race or different expectations based on perceived intelligence – but one thing is for sure; Republicans would probably have had a field day – maybe even a congressional investigation, given how fond they are of those – into the First Lady had the tables been turned.

Watch it here:

 

Colin Taylor
Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America.

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