NBC News is facing backlash over a contentious exchange its correspondent Dasha Burns had with Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis over abortion.
During a clip from the interview that aired on Monday's "Today," Burns asked DeSantis whether he would veto a bill banning abortion on a national level. The Florida governor implied that he would veto such legislation as president, decrying efforts by "a lot of the left" to override any pro-life protections "all the way up, really, until the moment of birth in, some instances, which I think is infanticide."
"I'm sorry, I've got to push back on you on that because that, that's a misrepresentation of what's happening," Burns interjected. "I mean, that - 1.3% of abortions happen at 21 weeks or higher. There's no evidence of Democrats pushing for abortions up until-"
"But their view is, is that all the way up until that yet there should not be any legal protections," DeSantis doubled down.
"There is no indication that Democrats are pushing that," Burns spoke over him before NBC cut away to a separate part of the interview, though DeSantis can be heard continuing to push back.
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The full segment, which later aired to fewer viewers on MSNBC, showed DeSantis citing California as an example of a state with a far-reaching abortion law.
"They have not instituted that policy," Burns told DeSantis.
"Yeah, they have," the governor shot back.
Last year, California passed a constitutional amendment that states "the state shall not deny or interfere with an individual's reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives." California law previously limited abortion beyond viability.
Critics on social media also pushed back against Burns' claims. NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck posted a thread showing laws passed in recent years in states like Maine, Colorado and New York that do not provide any week limits on abortion, tweeting out "pants on fire."
"Even in Georgia, Stacey Abrams ran on the platform that there should be no legal limit to abortion written into Georgia law. And this was in a fairly religious state where Republicans have controlled state govt for 20 years," NewsNation reporter Zaid Jilani wrote about the failed Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
The DeSantis War room released a montage showing prominent Democrats including Sens. John Fetterman and Bernie Sanders, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham all rejecting limits on abortions when asked.
Others piled on the NBC correspondent.
".@DashaBurns needs to correct this," Versus Media Podcast host Stephen L. Miller wrote.
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"So @DashaBurns you do realize all but one Democrat in the House literally ‘push[ed] for that’ as national policy last year, undoing existing state restrictions under Roe?" Fox News contributor Ben Domenech asked Burns, referring to a failed bill House Democrats largely backed.
"Gotta love how they keep cutting out his answers, only highlighting Burns' false statements. Never change, NBC," RedState writer Bonchie knocked the network.
"This is just factually false from @DashaBurns and emphasizes how the press can’t help but dishonestly cover for Democrats," conservative writer A.G. Hamilton tweeted.
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Neither Burns nor NBC News immediately responded to Fox News' requests for comment.
Burns was the reporter who first shed light on the severity of Fetterman's stroke after interviewing the then-candidate in the weeks leading up the 2022 midterms, for which she faced intense backlash from liberal journalists and media personalities, including her own colleague Stephanie Ruhle.
In another combative exchange, Burns grilled DeSantis over whether former President Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, leading the GOP hopeful to say, "Of course, he lost."
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