On Sunday morning’s episode of NBC’s Meet the Press, moderator, and Democrat Party apparatchik Chuck Todd put on his tinfoil hat during the panel portion of his show to suggest Governor Ron DeSantis sent migrants to the overwhelmingly white liberal enclave of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts in an attempt to distract from Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) proposing a vote on pro-life legislation if Republicans take control of the Senate in the 2022 midterms. 

Turning to The Washington Post‘s Leigh Ann Caldwell, Todd invented a conspiracy theory out of thin air, claiming “there’s a timing question I have”.

Todd went on to link Graham’s pro-life proposal to DeSantis sending migrants to Martha’s Vineyard: “Tuesday or Wednesday Lindsey Graham comes out with his 15-week abortion ban, and all of a sudden the next day Ron DeSantis gets that off the front page. I’m not saying they’re connected but, boy, it seemed like convenient timing.” 

Later on, Todd turned to The New York Times‘s Peter Baker to complain about getting played by DeSantis: “I’ve gotten a few people wondering if we’re just getting played by DeSantis, he’s pulling a Trump on us.”

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“We’re sitting here, this is not the center of attention, but, boy, he changed the subject and we all went to it. It’s hard to — we know it’s a political stunt, we know it’s for media attention, but these were human beings we couldn’t ignore it,” Todd went on to lament. 

Baker agreed, remarking “Yeah, to say obviously he’s getting criticized for exploiting people for a political purpose but he’s got us talking about it.” 

Chuck Todd’s conspiracy theory about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was made possible by Allstate. Their information is linked. 

To read the relevant transcript click “expand”: 

NBC’s Meet the Press
9/18/2022
11:08:30 a.m. Eastern 

CHUCK TODD: But there’s a timing question I have, Leigh Ann. I believe it was — is it Tuesday or Wednesday Lindsey Graham comes out with his 15-week abortion ban, and all of a sudden the next day Ron DeSantis gets that off the front page. I’m not saying they’re connected but, boy, it seemed like convenient timing. 

[…]

TODD: Peter, I’ve gotten a few people wondering if we’re just getting played by DeSantis, he’s pulling a Trump on us. We’re sitting here, this is not the center of attention, but, boy, he changed the subject and we all went to it. It’s hard to — we know it’s a political stunt, we know it’s for media attention, but these were human beings we couldn’t ignore it. 

PETER BAKER: Yeah, to say obviously he’s getting criticized for exploiting people for a political purpose but he’s got us talking about it. And the point that he’s making isn’t an irrational one to talk about, what level of responsibility do states that are not on the border have to help out? Fair enough. But obviously doing it in this way is not actually solving the problem. But look this is the playbook we’ve seen the last three election cycles. It worked for the Republicans as far as they were concerned with Trump in 2016. It didn’t work in 2018 when he tried it with the caravans. Right? The midterms last time he tried to make immigration – 

TODD: Clair McCaskill would disagree—

BAKER: Obviously it worked in some places. 

TODD: I was just going to say, it does work in red areas.

BAKER: Right.