Matthews falsely claimed Obama called Gates arrest "an example of profiling, basically"

Following President Obama's July 22 press conference, Chris Matthews falsely claimed that Obama said the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. "was an example of profiling, basically." Matthews asserted that in making this purported statement, Obama "may have stepped on his own headline tonight."

In fact, Obama did not assert that Gates' arrest was an "example of profiling." Rather, he said of the arrest: "I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that." Obama later added that "what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately" [emphasis added].

From CNN.com's transcript of Obama's July 22 press conference:

Question: Thank you, Mr. President. Recently, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., was arrested at his home in Cambridge. What does that incident say to you and what does it say about race relations in America?

Obama: Well, I should say at the outset that Skip Gates is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don't know all the facts.

What's been reported though is that the guy forgot his keys, jimmied his way to get into the house. There was a report called in to the police station that there might be a burglary taking place. So far, so good, right? I mean, if I was trying to jigger into -- well, I guess this is my house now, so...

(Laughter)

... it probably wouldn't happen. But let's say my old house in Chicago.

(Laughter)

Here, I'd get shot.

(Laughter)

But so far, so good. They're -- they're reporting. The police are doing what they should. There's a call. They go investigate what happens.

My understanding is, at that point, Professor Gates is already in his house. The police officer comes in. I'm sure there's some exchange of words. But my understanding is, is that Professor Gates then shows his ID to show that this is his house and, at that point, he gets arrested for disorderly conduct, charges which are later dropped.

Now, I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. But I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact.

As you know, Lynn, when I was in the state legislature in Illinois, we worked on a racial profiling bill because there was indisputable evidence that blacks and Hispanics were being stopped disproportionately. And that is a sign, an example of how, you know, race remains a factor in the society.

That doesn't lessen the incredible progress that has been made. I am standing here as testimony to the progress that's been made. And yet the fact of the matter is, is that, you know, this still haunts us.

And even when there are honest misunderstandings, the fact that blacks and Hispanics are picked up more frequently and often time for no cause casts suspicion even when there is good cause.

And that's why I think the more that we're working with local law enforcement to improve policing techniques so that we're eliminating potential bias, the safer everybody is going to be.

From MSNBC's July 22 post-press conference coverage:

MATTHEWS: Well, that was President Obama's press conference tonight, which, of course, focused on health care. I have Howard Fineman joining me here as well as Dr. Nancy Schneiderman.

I want to get to the health care issue, but first of all, let me go first to the news value. It seems like the president may have stepped on his own headline tonight, in the sense that what he just said about the Gates case up in Cambridge, Massachusetts -- saying it was an example of profiling, basically, is going to be a bigger story tomorrow.

FINEMAN: Well, I think so, because he didn't really make much news on health care. And on the emotional issue of race in America, there's no more important witness than Barack Obama, president of the United States. And for him to basically back Skip Gates, the professor from Harvard, and Skip Gates' view of what happened up there in Cambridge and to say that race still haunts us, even though he is proof of otherwise, I think was a deep moment, and the kind that people tune into Barack Obama expecting to see, as opposed to the previous 50 minutes that was a combination of the code of federal regulations and a three-card monte game.

MATTHEWS: Because I do believe that the matter of whether Mr. Gates, Professor Gates turned over his ID right away is in dispute. If that's the case, he has a much better case. But clearly, the president, as you said, took the side of his friend, as he called him, Skip Gates.

Let me go to the purpose of the evening tonight. Dr. Schneiderman, let me -- Nancy, let me ask you about this. You raised the question before that there is an element of what most people call rationing in any national health care plan because somebody has to decide how you do economize, how you do restrict the use of what the president called expensive treatments. What did you hear tonight?