Politics

Santorum blasts New York Times reporter: ‘It’s bullshit’ [VIDEO]

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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Footage of Rick Santorum spouting off at a New York Times reporter indicates that the media could be wearing on the former Pennsylvania Senator.

In a back-and-forth with The New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny aired on Monday’s “CBS This Morning,” Santorum challenges the premise of one of the reporter’s questions posed in a rope line in Wisconsin on Sunday. According to Zeleny, Santorum said his chief competitor for the GOP nomination, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, is the “worst Republican” to run against President Barack Obama. Santorum, meanwhile, insisted that his comments about Romney had been taken out of context.

Transcript as follows:

ZELENY: You said Mitt Romney is the worst Republican in the country. Is that true?
SANTORUM: What speech did you listen to?
ZELENY: Right here up. Said he’s the worst Republican –
SANTORUM: Stop lying. I said he was the worst Republican to run on the issue of ObamaCare. And that’s what I was talking about.
ZELENY: You said he’s the worst Republican –
SANTORUM: For every speech I give, I said he’s uniquely disqualified to run against Barack Obama on the issue of health care. Would you guys quit distorting what I’m saying in?
ZELENY: Do you think he’s the worst Republican –
SANTORUM: To run against Barack Obama on the issue of health care because he fashioned the blueprint. I’ve been saying it in every speech. Quit distorting our words. If I see it, it’s bullshit. Come on man. What are you doing?
ZELENY: Who’s distorting your words?
SANTORUM: You just did by asking me that question.
ZELENY: You sound upset about –
SANTORUM: I’m upset when the media distort what is I say. Yeah I do get upset. You know exactly what I was saying and you’re misrepresenting it. What are you guys in the business of doing, reporting the truth or are you here to try to spin and make news? Stop it.
ZELENY: You don’t care –
SANTORUM: You don’t care about the truth at all, do you? You really don’t. Asking that question shows me you don’t care at all about the truth.

Zeleny maintained on “CBS This Morning” that he was “simply asking” Santorum to clarify his comments. However, Zeleny also had his own take on the motivations behind Santorum’s attack on the press.

“He can certainly do whatever he would like,” Zeleny said. “What he is trying to do is make his case to Republican voters here and it’s a very common tactic for Republican presidential candidates or even Democratic presidential candidates — use the media as a foil here. We’ve seen Newt Gingrich do it throughout the campaign. He clearly knew the cameras were rolling here.”

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