CNN's Malveaux asked if Pelosi's trip to Syria is “big wet kiss to President Al-Assad”

Written by Brian Levy

Published

On the April 4 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, guest host Suzanne Malveaux again asserted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had “no official capacity to negotiate” during her visit to Syria. Malveaux then asked Imad Moustapha, Syrian ambassador to the United States, why anyone should “see” Pelosi's trip as “any more [than] a political stunt here, a publicity stunt, a big wet kiss to [Syrian] President [Bashar] Al-Assad?” As Media Matters for America noted, Malveaux made similar comments on the April 3 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, saying that Pelosi had no “standing” and was not acting in an “official capacity” despite Democratic strategist Paul Begala's assertion that “Pelosi has standing. She's the speaker of the House,” and Malveaux herself noting that Pelosi “will be the highest level U.S. official ever to meet with Assad.”

On April 3, Malveaux also asked Begala why Pelosi's trip is “any more than political theater” and later told former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), “Some people look at this as simply political theater, a stunt.”

As blogger and media critic Greg Sargent noted, earlier on the April 4 Situation Room, Malveaux teased a segment on Pelosi's trip by asking, “Is [Pelosi] on her way to becoming the most controversial House speaker yet?”

From the April 4 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:

MALVEAUX [video clip]: We understand that Pelosi met with the prime minister of Israel and that she was, in fact, delivering a message. But with all due respect, she has no official capacity to negotiate with your government here.

Why should the Americans, or even the international community, see this any more as a political stunt here, a publicity stunt, a big wet kiss to President Al-Assad?

MOUSTAPHA [video clip]: First, she was not negotiating. Second, somebody should tell the American public opinion that what they are being told about Syria is a myth. Stop trying to portray Syria as an enemy to the United States.

We are not an enemy to the United States.

MALVEAUX: Meanwhile, regarding those 15 freed British service members, Syria's foreign minister says it was among the nations that helped work towards their release.