Newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the rounds of the ABC, CBS, and NBC morning shows on Tuesday, and they all marched in lockstep, like they received an instruction packet. All three asked about President Trump's broad pardons for January 6 defendants, and they all followed up after he insisted he came to discuss foreign policy.
On ABC's Good Morning America, co-host George Stephanopoulos launched: "Let's begin with January, the January 6th pardons. Back when this happened, you called it a national embarrassment, saying, 'We now have Third World countries that are lecturing us, and we have tinpot dictators that are mocking us.' Of course, you’re now America’s top diplomat, you’ll be speaking with your counterparts around the world. What message does that pardon send to them?"
Rubio replied: "Well, I don't anticipate a single one of our partners will ask about it."
ABC's Clinton-press-aide-turned-anchorman George Stephanopoulos presses Marco Rubio about January 6 pardons (twice). I liked that Rubio threw in George's resume: "I don't anticipate a single one of our partners will ask about it, obviously, and you know this well from your time… pic.twitter.com/qd5YwNMcyI
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) January 21, 2025
Stephanopoulos repeated: "But as a senator you did say that it affected our standing in the world. You don't believe that any more?"
On CBS Mornings, co-host Gayle King at least began with a question about how Rubio felt about being the first Latino to be Secretary of State before launching into the obligatory January 6 questions:
On CBS, Obama donor/vacation partner Gayle King pressed Marco Rubio twice on January 6 pardons: "What message do you think that sends to people around the world about what we stand for?" As if Ukraine and Israel are still obsessing like our media about January 6. pic.twitter.com/nzskvUTjRw
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) January 21, 2025
KING: Let's start with -- I really want to start with those January 6th pardons because many people believe -- including the American people -- were not in favor of these blanket pardons. You know, Team Trump had been saying, these are going to be taken on a case-by-case basis. That did not appear to be the case. It appears blanket pardons. What message do you think that sends to people around the world about what we stand for?….
I hear you, but in February, 2021, even you issued a statement, and you said, the images in -- images of the attacks stirred up anger of you -- anger in you, the nation was embarrassed in the eyes of the world by our own citizens. How do you personally reconcile those feelings with the pardons that he did yesterday? I understand you have work to do and the job is hard, there are many things... but on this particular issue, I'm curious about what you're thinking.
On NBC's Today, new co-host Craig Melvin took on Rubio in the first half hour:
MELVIN: I recall that you said, shortly after the attack on the Capitol, where you were that day, that it was one of the saddest days in American history. Then you went on to say this, Mr. Secretary --
RUBIO (on video 1/6/2021): My entire life with and alongside people who came to America fleeing countries plagued by political violence and by chaos. Today America looked like the countries that they came here to get away from. Vladimir Putin loved everything that happened today because what happened is better than anything he could have ever come up to make us look like we're falling apart.
MELVIN: Mr. Secretary, what message does this pardoning, nearly all of them, send to the rest of the world?
On NBC, new co-host Craig Melvin drew the assignment of asking Marco Rubio two questions about the January 6 pardons. As in: who's to say another disgruntled crowd at the Capitol won't do it again?
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) January 21, 2025
Or: when disgruntled crowds injure (and even kill) cops in a left-wing protest,… pic.twitter.com/YIqHOsQrF5
After Rubio demurred, Melvin followed up: "I want to talk about foreign policy in just a moment, but really quickly, I mean -- who’s to say that if a crowd of folks who were displeased with something that happens at the Capitol in the future -- well, who’s to say that they don't just do it again?"
Rubio called the questions "unfortunate," that he came on to discuss foreign policy, so if they wanted to revisit January 6, "it's not going to happen."