The nice Jake Tapper made an look Tuesday within the second hour of CNN’s The Lead as he did a section along with his panel calling out New York Occasions opinion author and MSNBC visitor Wajahat Ali for his racist and sexist smear Sunday of 2024 GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley as “us[ing] her brown pores and skin to launder white supremacist speaking factors.” At one level, Tapper mentioned it was a reminder “there’s a very ugly signal of the left that comes out when Nikki Haley runs for workplace.”

Tapper pivoted from the umpteenth January 6 dialogue to Ali’s feedback, together with the clip in query of Ali stating the next: “She makes use of her brown pores and skin as a weapon in opposition to poor black of us and poor brown of us, and he or she makes use of her brown pores and skin to launder white supremacist speaking factors. And the rationale why I really feel unhappy is as a result of it doesn’t matter what she does, Medhi, it’ll by no means be sufficient. They’ll by no means love her.”

Tapper then went to Nationwide Evaluate’s Ramesh Ponnuru: “Instantly, clearly, Haley has jumped on this as, look, liberals are attacking me once more. What do you make of this?”

Ponnuru, who’s not a fan of Haley, provided the naked minimal by saying Ali’s feedback have been “a present to Haley’s nascent marketing campaign for her to have the ability to soar on these dumb, you understand, remarks by a pundit that simply play into her palms and say, look, they’re going after me based mostly on my race” who “can’t deal with” her.

Extremely, liberal CNN political commentator Paul Begala provided a extra sturdy protection:

I believe the truth that she obtained to be the governor of South Carolina with brown pores and skin is a really spectacular accomplishment, and I don’t assume it’s one thing folks must be attacking or ridiculing her about. Let’s simply take her based mostly on her concepts. And I won’t like them as a Democrat, Republicans would possibly, however I believe it’s a horrible factor to say about her.

Tapper pivoted to a different racist assault on Haley concerning the truth that she goes by her center identify and the way “these are the identical individuals who objected to at any time when Republicans would say Barack Hussein Obama.”

“I imply, there’s a very ugly signal of the left that comes out when Nikki Haley runs for workplace,” he added.

CNN’s Alayna Treene replied that Haley’s marketing campaign “has thought quite a bit about” and “anticipated a few of these assaults” and, in flip, Haley has “leaned in to a few of…the messaging” as they’ve resulted in “an additional information cycle”.

“I truly assume they’ve tried to, you understand, play it sensible…and switch them into one thing that they will use to additional increase her,” she added, which led Tapper to chime in that such smears are “in-kind contributions”.

The section wrapped with Haley’s name for competency assessments and the way, whereas President in July 2020, Donald Trump had touted how he supposedly did on a take a look at.

Politico’s Heidi Przybyla reacted to the clip by saying “Democrats could be all in if Trump needed to comply with a psychological competency take a look at if he turns into the nominee” and, on Haley’s proposal, it was proof “she’s not afraid to make age a difficulty.”

“It’s been a fairly good week for her, I’ve to say, by way of the assaults on her and in addition by way of, like, she’s been within the press quite a bit. Possibly subsequent time for her insurance policies, maybe,” concluded Tapper.

To see the related transcript from February 22, click on “broaden.’

CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper
February 22, 2023
5:33 p.m. Jap

JAKE TAPPER: So, anyway, I need to ask about one thing else. New York Occasions opinion author Wajahat Ali made some very essential feedback yesterday, I believe, about — or possibly it was Sunday, about Governor Nikki Haley, who’s now working for president. Have a look.

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Campaign 2024; Commentator: Nikki Halley Uses “Brown Skin to Launder” White Supremacy]

WAJAHAT ALI [on MSNBC’s The Mehdi Hassan Show, 02/18/23]: She makes use of her brown pores and skin as a weapon in opposition to poor black of us and poor brown of us, and he or she makes use of her brown pores and skin to launder white supremacist speaking factors. And the rationale why I really feel unhappy is as a result of it doesn’t matter what she does, Medii, it’ll by no means be sufficient. They’ll by no means love her.

TAPPER: “They’ll by no means love her.” Instantly, clearly, Haley has jumped on this as, look, liberals are attacking me once more. What do you make of this?

RAMESH PONNURU: Yeah, I believe that it’s a present to Haley’s nascent marketing campaign for her to have the ability to soar on these dumb, you understand, remarks by a pundit that simply play into her palms and say, look, they’re going after me based mostly on my race. They will’t deal with my concepts. They will’t deal with the truth that I’m a talented politician.

PAUL BEGALA: I’m with Ramesh. Yeah. I believe the truth that she obtained to be the governor of South Carolina with brown pores and skin is a really spectacular accomplishment, and I don’t assume it’s one thing folks must be attacking or ridiculing her about. Let’s simply take her based mostly on her concepts. And I won’t like them as a Democrat, Republicans would possibly, however I believe it’s a horrible factor to say about her.

TAPPER: One of many issues that’s odd is also you see — I don’t need to make too massive a deal out of it, however you see, some folks on the left noting that Nikki will not be her unique first identify. I believe it’s her center identify.

PONNURU: Proper.

TAPPER: And, like, principally suggesting that she — I imply, it’s not true. And these are the identical individuals who objected to at any time when Republicans would say Barack Hussein Obama. I imply, there’s a very ugly signal of the left that comes out when Nikki Haley runs for workplace.

ALAYNA TREENE: No, I believe that’s true, and I additionally assume that that is one thing that I do know her marketing campaign has thought quite a bit about. As you’re launching a presidential marketing campaign, they’ve anticipated a few of these assaults. However I’ll say, general, she’s leaned in to a few of what has a few of the messaging that has been surrounding her prior to now week since asserting that she was working for president. And actually, it’s an additional media cycle, information cycle, over and over the place she will be able to seize on, have a look at what the left’s doing, have a look at what liberals try to make me out to be and — and use it to her benefit. And I truly assume they’ve tried to, you understand, play it sensible with a few of these assaults and switch them into one thing that they will use to additional increase her among the many proper and along with her base.

TAPPER: In form contributions for the Haley marketing campaign. One very last thing, Heidi, Donald Trump is becoming a member of Nikki Haley in saying there must be psychological competency assessments, not only for candidates, politicians who — over 75, however everybody. And I simply needed to remind folks that he talked a couple of psychological competency take a look at again in 2020.

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Campaign 2024; Trump Embraces Nikki Haley’s Call for “Mental Competency Tests”]

DONALD TRUMP [on 07/22/20]: You go, particular person, lady, man, digital camera TV. They are saying, that’s wonderful. How did you try this? They do it as a result of I’ve, like, an excellent reminiscence, as a result of I’m cognitively there.

HEIDI PRZYBYLA: So, Paul, again me up right here, however I believe that Democrats could be all in if Trump needed to comply with a psychological competency take a look at if he turns into the nominee. However look, I don’t assume that — I believe what Nikki Haley is doing right here is she’s displaying that she’s not afraid to make age a difficulty. I don’t know that that’s going to be a giant challenge, however she’s displaying that she’s not afraid to take them on as a result of it’s fairly clear that she’s referring to each Trump and Biden right here.

TAPPER: It’s been a fairly good week for her, I’ve to say, by way of the assaults on her and in addition by way of, like, she’s been within the press quite a bit. Possibly subsequent time for her insurance policies, maybe.