In Must-Watch Clip, Trump Attorney "Michael van der Veen, Citizen" Destroys Media

Saturday night, President Trump’s attorney, Michael van der Veen, appeared on CBS News and was asked about Sen. Mitch McConnell’s comments after Trump’s acquittal. As Bonchie covered earlier, McConnell said that “President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” and that Trump is “still liable for everything he did during his period in office.” When he was specifically asked whether he was surprised to hear such a serious rebuke from the leader of the Republican party in the Senate, van der Veen’s expression, tone, and words said it all.

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I’m not surprised to hear a politician say anything at all. No.

Crickets. The CBS News anchor, Lana Zak, wasn’t quite sure what to make of the reply. She decided to move forward and attempt to “gotcha” van der Veen, and it doesn’t go well for her at all. This, like Friday’s supercut of Democrats inciting violence, is a must-watch clip for two reasons: one, it’s rare that someone so articulately calls out the media, and two, it’s rare that the media have a guest they’re afraid to just cut off as they speak “their truth.”

Zak asked van der Veen:

Throughout the trial you denied that President Trump had a role in inciting the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. You argued first of all that there was no insurrection, but during your closing arguments you seemingly admitted that there was, in fact, an insurrection, using that word, saying that that was not up for debate. What role did the former president play —

Van der Veen challenged her false premise, which is something not enough guests do. He interrupted her, saying:

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No, you didn’t understand the case. I used the word “insurrection” in my closing argument when quoting the charging documents.

What happened at the Capitol on January 6th is absolutely horrific, but what happened at the Capitol during this trial was not too far away from that.

The prosecutors in this case doctored evidence. They did not investigate this case, and when they had to come to the court, or the Senate, to put their case on, because they hadn’t done any investigation, they doctored evidence. It was absolutely shocking….

Zak seemingly didn’t know what to say, and wanted to follow up on van der Veen’s assertion that the House managers doctored evidence.

To be clear for our viewers, what you’re talking about now is a checkmark that’s a verification on Twitter that did not exist on that particular tweet, a 2020 that should have actually read 2021, and the selective editing, you say, of the tapes. Is that how — is that the doctored evidence of what you’re speaking?

At that point, van der Veen is all of us when he lost it on her.

Wait, wait, wait, wait…that’s not enough for you? That’s not enough for you?

Zak indignantly jumped in to argue with him, not believing that he dared to question her.

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It’s not okay to doctor a little bit of evidence. The media has to start telling the right story in this country. The media is trying to divide this country. You are bloodthirsty for ratings, and as such, you’re asking questions now that are already set up with a fact pattern. I can’t believe you would ask me a question indicating that it’s alright just to doctor a little bit of evidence. There’s more stuff we uncovered that they doctored, to be frank with you, and maybe that will come out someday.

Van der Veen continued, telling Zak that given the evidence and reports that House managers doctored evidence, perhaps journalists should be fairly looking into them.

The media should be looking at that in a square, straight way. When I watch one news, I watch one station and it’s raining. I watch another station at the same time and it’s sunny. Your coverage is so slanted. It’s gotta stop. You guys have to stop and start reporting more like PBS does rather than a TV news show that doesn’t have any journalistic integrity at all. What I’m telling you is that they doctored evidence, and I believe your question says that it’s only a Twitter check here and changing a date there….”

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Zak was still too stunned to interrupt him.

The media shouldn’t be letting them get away with it, either. I’m tired of the biased media on both sides, left and right. What this country wants, what this country needs, is this country to come together, to take the left and the right and find a middle ground and start responsibly being our public officials, our elected officials….

I’m not a media – I’m not in front of your cameras all the time, but what I’ve been subjected to this last week –

Finally, Zak condescendingly interrupted him to tell him she’d given him the opportunity to say what he wanted to say. When van der Veen got to what he had been subjected to this last week — including his house being vandalized Friday night, the word “traitor” spray-painted at the head of his driveway with an arrow pointing to his house — Zak cut him off. he replied:

“You don’t want to hear the truth. I’ve got it.

Again, Zak said she just wanted to explain for the viewers who didn’t watch all of the hours of the trial and tried to shame him. She winds up the interview by saying, “All right. Michael van der Veen –” and he replies with, “Yep, citizen,” instead of being described as President Trump’s attorney. And then, mic drop. Literally.

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What’s dangerous about Michael van der Veen is that he represents the vast majority of Americans who just want the self-important pundits, journos, “experts” and politicians in the Acela corridor to stop acting like infants, do their jobs, and let us do ours.

(P.S. You can’t make this up. The headline on CBS News’ video of the interview is “Trump attorney rips off mic after questioning from CBSN anchor.”)

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