If you needed further proof that the leftist shills in the media haven't learned a thing since President-elect Donald Trump won a second term in office, look no further than the recent blatherings of Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza as they bemoaned ABC News's $15 million payout to Trump. 

RedState's Bonchie had the scoop on the settlement:

The lawsuit was first filed after [George] Stephanopoulos claimed as a matter of fact that Trump had “raped” E. Jean Carroll. The comment came during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace. 

Of course, the issue was that Trump has never been charged or convicted of rape criminally nor has he been found liable for rape in any civil suit. Stephanopoulos made it up in an attempt to bait Mace, and it ended up being the basis of the now-settled civil suit against he and ABC News. 

Well, this settlement has the un-dynamic duo of Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza reaching for their smelling salts. How dare their imploding industry be held accountable for its own actions! What's this world coming to?

Upon His Farewell, a Retrospective of Chuck Todd’s More Laughable Moments

Life Comes at Chris Cillizza Fast After Puff Piece on Biden’s Alleged ‘Decency’ Misses the Mark

Here's what went down. 

Cillizza, who got the boot from CNN a few years ago, has taken his act over to Substack, where he hosts a video chat show that often features NBC News's Chuck Todd. They often seem bemused about the goings-on in the world and, weirdly, feel the need to record their bemusement and share it with the world.

Such is the case with the ABC News settlement, which most people view as a richly-deserved comeuppance for the network's years of defaming Donald Trump, but Todd and Cillizza see as an unfair "gut punch" to the media. It's a "dangerous precedent," you all.

The ABC news settlement with Donald Trump sets an incredibly dangerous precedent -- and undermines journalists doing their jobs.

I talked with @chucktodd about it all. Watch via the link in my bio! pic.twitter.com/jMpi2gQm3n

— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) December 16, 2024

TODD: I know he loves to be litigious. I always thought this lawsuit was designed for him to say he had a lawsuit. 

CILLIZZA: Of course!

TODD: Why do you file the lawsuit against a media company?

CILLIZZA: When I was at CNN, he filed a lawsuit against CNN. He's filed lots and lots of lawsuits. 

TODD: Right, and they always get thrown out. And this one would have, too. I just don't see how they thought it wasn't going to be.

Note the slight note of panic in their voices, as if they're just realizing that they've met their match in Donald Trump. Here are two other clips of their minds being blown:

ABC's decision to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Donald Trump has MASSIVE repercussions.

. @chucktodd and I talked about it. pic.twitter.com/p97xG1hcd5

— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) December 17, 2024

.@chucktodd told me that the ABC settlement with Trump was a "gut punch" to the media pic.twitter.com/0gOQwEvd0m

— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) December 17, 2024

Whether it was their goal or not, Todd and Cillizza won the Ratio Olympics for their inane, tone-deaf reactions to the settlement. A few X users had some reactions of their own:

Mollie Hemingway: "I sure hope you asked notorious Russia collusion hoaxer Chuck Todd about his many lies that hurt the country. Right?"

Greg Scott: "Slander is part of “journalists doing their jobs,” Chris? Thanks for being transparent."

Jerry Fuhrman: "ABC News White House correspondent back in the Reagan days Sam Donaldson was asked in a panel discussion if reporters had an obligation to tell the truth. Without hesitation he replied no. I knew journalism was on the road to hell at that moment. And here they are."

If Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza are panicking, they have very good reason to do so. Donald Trump just filed a lawsuit against The Des Moines Register and its "gold star" pollster, J. Ann Selzer, for fraud and election interference. And Trump made it clear to the press on Monday that he is moving forward with a slate of lawsuits as he fights back against years of being the recipient of the media's lies. 

Perhaps Todd and Cillizza are squirming uncomfortably because reality is starting to set in for them that their brand of "journalism" is sinking fast, and Trump isn't afraid to sue the pants off them if it helps hasten its demise. Maybe we should cut them some slack — accountability is a new thing for them.

Writer's note: I couldn't stop thinking about this Monty Python skit as I wrote the article about these two buffoons. If you need a laugh today, take a watch.