MSNBC reporter Trymaine Lee slyly criticized President Obama for vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard during a period of serious crisis — in this case, the ongoing riots in Ferguson, Missouri — claiming that being on vacation while the town is “under siege” by militarized police “just doesn’t look right.”
On Thursday, Lee appeared remote from Ferguson with Michael Eric Dyson, who is filling in for Ed Schultz on MSNBC this week.
“Is President Obama doing enough?” Dyson asked , wondering if the statement the president gave earlier on Thursday “would reduce the palpable tension that you feel there?”
“For him to step up and say that protesters need not be attacking police, but also law enforcement needs to step carefully, I think he’s doing something,” Lee said approvingly. “He’s letting everyone know that he’s paying attention.”
“Of course, he’s on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, so I think he probably had to come out and say something,” the reporter added. “It just doesn’t look good if you’re out vacationing and then an American city is under siege. It just doesn’t look right.”