Wall Street Journal Editor-at-Large Gerry Baker fired back at MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Wednesday after Scarborough criticized The Wall Street Journal for publishing an op-ed by Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.
The op-ed, written by the GOP vice-presidential nominee, took aim at the Biden-Harris administration’s response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina and other parts of the southeastern U.S.
Scarborough attacked the publication for allowing Vance to criticize the administration’s relief efforts, sparking a response from Baker, who pointed to what he called Scarborough’s own history with disinformation, particularly regarding Joe Biden’s health.
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“It’s hard to be lectured by MSNBC on disinformation,” Baker said during an appearance on Fox News’ America Reports with co-host Sandra Smith. “It feels quite a bit of chutzpah on their part. This is the same Joe Scarborough who told us, I think, days or weeks before that infamous… presidential debate that saw Joe Biden pull out of the race, that Biden was in incredible shape. He attacked The Wall Street Journal article that had just appeared saying Joe Biden was slipping. He [Scarborough] said Biden was as sharp as he’s ever been, brilliant. Weeks later, we saw what Biden was like, and another month later he pulled out of the race.”
Baker’s comments were in reference to Scarborough’s earlier defense of Biden, whom he had praised as being in good health before changing his tone following a June 27 debate hosted by CNN.
During that debate, Biden appeared to freeze several times and made multiple verbal gaffes, prompting Scarborough to later admit that Biden “may not be up to the job.”
Before Baker’s remarks, America Reports host Sandra Smith noted that Fox News had fact-checked Vance’s op-ed, which had been the target of Scarborough’s criticism.
Smith explained that Fox’s research team reviewed the editorial and compared it to official announcements from the White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“We had our research team compare the Vance editorial to all the announcements regarding relief efforts from both the White House and FEMA, Gerry, and they could not find claims in that J.D. Vance editorial that was just slammed on the morning show that stood out as false,” Smith said.
Vance’s op-ed criticized the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene, a storm that devastated parts of the southeastern U.S., including western North Carolina.
FEMA has faced significant criticism over its handling of relief efforts in the region, where at least 227 people were killed as a result of the storm.
Baker’s pushback against Scarborough highlights ongoing tensions between media outlets over the portrayal of the Biden-Harris administration’s disaster response and the broader debate about how effectively government agencies, like FEMA, are addressing crises.
As Vance and other Republicans continue to scrutinize the administration’s actions, these media clashes are likely to remain a prominent feature of the political landscape leading up to the 2024 election.
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