Maddow cracks up over sudden decision by Ted Cruz and Richard Burr that health secretary must be a doctor
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Richard Burr (R-NC) invented a reason that they can't possibly support President Joe Biden's appointee to the Department of Health and Human Services. According to both men, the fact that Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D-CA) isn't a doctor is a sticking point with them.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow took issue with the complaint from the Republicans because when they were asked to support former President Donald Trump's former HHS secretaries, they did so without complaint. None of those men were doctors either.
"Sen Cruz voted for him even though you'll be shocked to learn, Alex Azar is also not a doctor," Maddow said. "'See, it's unacceptable to nominate a non-doctor to be health secretary unless that nominee is from a Republican president in which case ..... I have to go.'"
But Cruz isn't the only one. Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina also had concerns over Becerra not being a doctor.
"Sen. Burr's objection is that Xavier Becerra served in Congress for a long time on committees that's had important oversight roles in health care issues, involved in a lot of health care policy that way," Maddow explained. "But Sen. Burr said that's not appropriate experience for someone joining the Cabinet to work on health issues. That's his stance against Xavier Becerra being health secretary. Yes, he worked on health stuff a ton in Congress but that's not the experience you need for being health secretary in the Cabinet."
The problem with that, however, is that Sen. Burr supported President Donald Trump's nominee to the Director of National Intelligence based on his work in Congress over national security issues.
"Despite that stance now, under President Trump, Sen. Richard Burr expressed great enthusiasm for a Trump Cabinet nominee named Dan Coats," Maddow explained. "He was nominated to be the director of national intelligence. Why did Sen. Burr like Dan Coats for that job so much? Even though Dan Coats had never held any national security or intelligence job ever before getting that nomination? Well, Sen. Burr explained it at the time, he said 'Dan Coats would be an excellent choice for director of national intelligence.' He said, 'Dan's experience as a valued member of the Senate Intelligence Committee will help to guide him as the next director of national intelligence.' He said 'I think his time on the committee has served him to understand what that role entails.' So to be clear, just serving in Congress, being on committees that work something, that's not enough to make you qualified to serve in the Cabinet only issue unless you're nominated by a Republican president, and then it's okay. If you're nominated by a Democratic president on the same basis, then you are deeply unqualified and you must be withdrawn."
Maddow then cracked up laughing at the hypocrisy:
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