CNBC hosts clash over House speaker's mealymouthed Trump spin

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, shown in June.

Conservative CNBC host Joe Kernen got stressed out Tuesday when co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin pressed House Speaker Mike Johnson on the sham indictment of former FBI director James Comey by the Department of Justice.

“My understanding is that the previous prosecutor refused to bring the case because they didn’t think a strong enough case, if you will, to even bring to a grand jury,” Sorkin said. “And so you have the situation where the president effectively directed their own lawyer to bring that case.”

“Well, I wouldn't say that,” Johnson replied. “I think there is a distinction between the prosecutor’s discretion—and they all have that. Different prosecutors look at different cases different ways.” 

Johnson continued to ramble, offering little of substance, before Kernen cut in, clearly frustrated by Sorkin’s line of questioning

“We're going to end it there,” Kernen. “They're wrapping us. I mean, this is about the—this is about the shut—I mean, this is, I mean, go for it. But this is like—are you going to ask about saying prayers on the floor of the House or something? I mean, this is sort of off topic. Is it not? I mean, I know it gets to Trump, but.”

Kernen has long carried water for conservative big-money interests. But throwing up his hands to wave off concerns about Trump’s naked abuse of power by using the DOJ to target his political enemies and distract the public seems like a new low, even for him.