David Litt, a former-speechwriter for Barack Obama, appeared on Newsmax on Monday morning to discuss Elon Musk hosting SNL. (Everything you need to know about the episode can be found in this screenshot.) Instead, he hijacked the interview by switching topics: Litt wanted to discuss the far-right “news” network spreading lies.
“What happened on SNL this weekend was that people made stuff up and then said it on television like it’s true. And that actually happens pretty frequently in American TV,” Litt told conservative anchor Rob Finnerty. Then came the seamless segue: “For example, in 2020, Dominion Voting Systems sued Newsmax over its false claims about election fraud. Newsmax was lying to its own viewers, and Newsmax had to settle that lawsuit. So, I just need to check-in: Are you still telling that lie or are you telling new lies?”
Newsmax withdrew false claims about the 2020 election after Dominion employee Eric Coomer filed a defamation lawsuit against the media outlet (Dominion also went after Fox News for claiming that their equipment was used to “rig” the election to the tune of $1.6 billion). “Newsmax subsequently found no evidence that such allegations were true. Many of the states whose results were contested by the Trump campaign after the November 2020 election have conducted extensive recounts and audits, and each of these states certified the results as legal and final,” the company wrote in a statement.
Finnerty tried to bring the conversation back to Elon Musk, but it was too late. “I know this is a very funny moment for you,” he said. “I’m sure you didn’t sleep last night as you prepared to try and sort of ‘get’ the morning anchor on Newsmax. I’d be happy to talk with you about whatever you want to talk about.” Finnerty offered an ultimatum: we can talk about SNL, “but obviously, I’m not gonna talk about anything else right now. So you decide right now, in this moment on live television, go ahead.” Litt replied, “Did Dominion Voting Systems have any impact on the 2020 election?” His feed was cut seconds later.
You can watch the interview below. It’s more entertaining than Elon’s SNL episode.
@DavidLitt: “People made stuff up, then said it on television like it’s true — and that actually happens pretty frequently on American TV. For example, in 2020, Dominion Voting System sued Newsmax over its false claims about election fraud…” pic.twitter.com/wVFPMyNz1m
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) May 10, 2021