RUSH: Katrina Pierson is one of Trump’s spokespeople. You like Katrina Pierson, do you? (interruption) Yeah, interesting. Interesting. The Official Program Observer has a soft spot here for Katrina Pierson. Well, anyway she was on with Wolf Blitzer last night in The Situation Room. As you may know, one of Trump’s people accused Cruz of using Gestapo-like tactics to win the Colorado delegate selection process. I think it was Cruz.
In general, Gestapo-like tactics were being employed. And, of course, there was righteous indignation over the association of the Gestapo and the Waffen-SS in any way being similar to what the Cruz campaign is employing tactically. Wolf Blitzer particularly was very, very bothered by this. So he scheduled an appearance by Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson, and the first sound bite begins with Wolf saying, “Is that really appropriate, Katrina? I mean, come on. Gestapo tactics?”
PIERSON: There are a lot of delegates that are receiving, let’s just say, interesting phone calls from people that might sound intimidating. So we’re gonna find out, aren’t we?
BLITZER: Is it appropriate to use the word “Gestapo”? ‘Cause I assume you know what the Gestapo did.
PIERSON: It is a word to define exactly the type of malice that is involved with going after some of these delegates in a very hostile and intimidating way.
RUSH: So she wouldn’t pull it back. She wouldn’t dial it back. She would not concede that “Gestapo-like tactics” was an incorrect verbiage. So Wolf could not believe what he was hearing and persisted.
BLITZER: You know what the Gestapo did during World War II? That word should not be used to talk about the tactics that the Cruz campaign engaged. That wasn’t appropriate, right?
PIERSON: You’re talking about a campaign that doesn’t really care much for political correctness, and if it’s a term that just simply describes how malignant —
BLITZER: But it isn’t appropriate. You don’t use the word “Gestapo” to talk about a political campaign in the United States. That gives the Gestapo too much credit, right? So don’t you wish you could have taken that back?
PIERSON: Well, where was all this hostility and concern when Mr. Trump was being called Hitler? So, no. I think this is just another situation where it is a word to determine just how hostile that this has gone on… Any state where these delegates — and I think it was a word that just lets everyone know exactly what he was talking about.
RUSH: “You don’t regret using it? You don’t you don’t you want to pull it back? Do you know what the Gestapo did?” “Yeah, right, and we think it’s an appropriate use to describe what’s happening some of these delegates out there.” She’s not pulling it back at all. Finally, Wolf gives it one more college try.
PIERSON: No, and the Kasich also talked about the strong-arm tactics that the Cruz campaign used as well.
BLITZER: “Strong-arm tactics” is one thing, but the Gestapo? You know what they did during World War II; you know the millions of people, especially Jews who were murdered.
PIERSON: Yes. He was talking about exactly the same thing, the strong-arm tactics that the Cruz campaign has been using, the intimidation — and a lot of people feel a little hurt by that.
RUSH: The point is no matter what Wolf said, she would not dial it back. She wouldn’t concede that there was a mistake at all in describing the Cruz campaign as Gestapo-like tactics. And then somehow this term of “strong-arm tactics” came in. In one of the exchanges, I think Wolf says, “‘Strong-arm tactics,’ that’s not as bad as Gestapo!” She was saying, “If you’re gonna get strong-arm tactics, it’s the same thing as Gestapo,” and Wolf wouldn’t hear of it.
But so she wouldn’t she wouldn’t dial this back at all, and Wolf simply could not believe it.