US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has come to blows with the ABC’s Sarah Ferguson after an interview about Julian Assange’s release took a shocking turn culminating in the politician exclaiming “people like you can’t be taken seriously”.
The Republican politician sat down for an interview on the ABC’s 7.30 for what started out as a discussion about the Wikileaks founder’s release – something she’s strongly advocated for throughout her political tenure.
About nine-and-a-half minutes into the otherwise civil interview, Ms Ferguson pivoted the conversation to the congresswoman’s allegiance to presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, questioning if Americans would be hesitant to vote for him after his hush-money conviction.
“We have no reservations about voting for Donald Trump because the convictions are fake and they are a complete perversion of our justice system,” Ms Greene said.
When Ms Ferguson continued to question on the Trump line and brought up Ms Greene’s denial of the 2020 US election results, the US Congresswoman shot back.
“Sarah aren’t we talking about Julian Assange? Sarah are you even a serious interviewer?” she rebutted.
“I thought we were talking about Julian Assange here today, that’s what you were asking me to come on your Australian news show.
“I don’t usually do interviews like this because people like you can’t be taken seriously.”
The ABC host then went on to argue Ms Greene’s support of Assange on the basis of “truth” and her denial of the 2020 election results were at odds before taking another step down the Trump inquiry line.
“What will Donald Trump’s MAGA supporters do if he loses the election?” the ABC host asked.
“So what does this have to do with Julian Assange again, Sarah? I think that was the purpose of our interview,” the congresswoman said.
An incensed Ms Greene then fired back at the 7.30 host with an impassioned rebuttal on what she felt were many under reported aspects of US politics.
“In 2020, America watched riot day in and day out with BLM (Black Lives Matter) riots that cost over $2 billion in our communities and cities across the country,” she said before claiming the actions of the Capitol rioters paled in comparison to the BLM activists.
“In America today, we have a two-tiered justice system and the Justice Department – the DOJ – targets their political enemies and President Trump is the very top of that and people that protested the election on January 6 are also the target of it.
“And what you probably don’t tell your viewers is that many of these people that are being arrested and put in jail simply walked into the Capitol building through open doors and videoed and took pictures of the inside of the Capitol and then they walked out through doors.
“And that is – I’m sure – not the images that you show on your network in Australia but it’s a shame because that’s what the media has done and twisted and lied.”
The interview capped off with Ms Ferguson asking whether the congresswoman would accept the 2024 election result if Joe Biden won which triggered outrage from the outspoken Republican.
“What network is this?” Ms Greene asked.
“What is this, ABC in Australia? Is she getting her marching orders from the Democrat Party? Is this what she decided to come up with today?”
Ms Ferguson’s conduct with the US congresswoman caught the attention of Sky News Australia contributor Kosha Gada who skewered the ABC host’s “agenda” as a symptom of “Trump derangement syndrome”.
“Trump Derangement Syndrome is global,” Ms Gada told Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi.
“Clearly it knows no borders. I think at this point it’s airborne.
“I would say she clearly has an agenda. I think the gotcha interview style is the currency of modern-day journalism in many parts and that’s what she was clearly trying to do with MTG (Marjorie Taylor Greene).”
The ABC interview meltdown comes as a female Australian journalist butted heads with former Fox News host and conservative political pundit Tucker Carlson.
At a press event, the reporter claimed Carlson warned of white Americans being replaced by non-white immigrants – what the journalist labelled the great replacement theory – on his shows.
Carlson responded to clarify he had said “native born Americans”, which was not exclusive of white people.
The journalist then linked the theory with the 2022 New York Buffalo shooting, when 13 African-Americans were shot in a racially motivated attack, before Carlson hit back.
“How do they get people this stupid in the media?” Carlson said.
The journalist later asked the pundit if he felt “any kind of responsibility for these hate crimes?” to which Carlson unleashed.
“I’m trying to be charitable,” he said.
“I was like ‘maybe you’re just pretending to be dumb.’ Now, I don’t think it’s an act.”
The Aussie journalist’s attempt to pull a ‘gotchya’ on the former Fox host was poorly received by Ms Gada, likening it to Ms Ferguson’s conduct with Ms Greene.
“She really came across as someone who couldn’t think on her feet,” Ms Gada said.
“This is another example of what we just talked about with the previous topic with ABC and MTG of this adversarial style that it doesn’t sound like these reporters have any experience in at all.”
The row between Carlson and the reporter comes towards the end of his Australian tour with United Australia Party founder and businessman Clive Palmer.