MSNBC, Washington Post reporters hit Marsha Blackburn for quoting Judge Jackson on 'hidden agendas'

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Handmaid vs. Historic: How the media reacted to Supreme Court nominees Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson

MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS and other outlets had sharply different reactions to the Supreme Court nominations of Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

A slew of reporters took offense at the opening statement of Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Monday, on day one of the confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court bench.

Journalists took to Twitter to complain about one particular comment Blackburn made to the judge. However, they omitted a key portion of the senator’s statement.

After laying out her concerns about Jackson’s previous comments on education, praising the 1619 Project and critical race theory, Blackburn said the following: 

"You once wrote that every judge has ‘Personal, hidden agendas’ that influence how they decide cases. I can only wonder what your hidden agenda is?"

BIDEN SUPREME COURT NOMINEE JACKSON PRAISED NYT'S 1619 PROJECT DURING MLK DAY SPEECH

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., questions Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing titled Protecting Kids Online: Instagram and Reforms for Young Users on Capitol Hill, Dec. 8, 2021, in Washington, D.C.  (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Blackburn was quoting from Judge Jackson's 1992 undergraduate thesis entitled, ''The Hand of Oppression: Plea Bargaining Processes and the Coercion of Criminal Defendants." The chapter entitled "Hidden Agenda, Examining Intent" argues court officials have personal motivations or "hidden agendas" regarding plea bargains.

The Tennessee senator continued to grill the Supreme Court nominee, raising Republican objections to her record.

"Is it to let violent criminals, cop killers and child predators back to the streets? Is it to restrict parental rights and expand government’s reach into our schools and into our private family decisions? Is it to support the radical left's attempt to pack the Supreme Court? You have praised the 1619 Project which argues the U.S. is a fundamentally racist country, and you have made clear that you believe judges must consider Critical Race Theory when deciding how to sentence criminal defendants. Is it your personal hidden agenda to incorporate Critical Race Theory into our legal system? These are answers that the American people need to know. So we are going to look at past statements, and decisions, and seek clarification from this committee before we make our decision."

But reporters and media commentators took to social media to complain about Blackburn asking for the Supreme Court nominee’s "hidden agenda."

SUPREME COURT NOMINEE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON: 10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW

CNN reporter Manu Raju wrote, "Judge Jackson listens on as Marsha Blackburn questions whether the Supreme Court nominee has a ‘hidden agenda.’"

CNN Reporter Manu Raju (Twitter)

Frequent MSNBC commentator Elie Mystal wrote, "Blackburn wonders what Jackson's ‘hidden’ agenda is and suggests that it could be to let criminals and pedophiles back onto the streets."

Elie Mystal

MSNBC weekend host and NBC News legal contributor Katie Phang wrote, "'Personal hidden agenda'?! I feel for KBJ to have to suffer through such idiocy."

Katie Phang

Eugene Scott, national politics reporter for The Washington Post, also took issue.

Washington Post reporter Eugene Scott (Twitter)

Jennifer Bendery, senior politics reporter for the Huffington Post, griped, "Blackburn now going on a rant about a bunch of issues, including ‘so-called white privilege,’ child porn, judicial activism, the 1619 Project, critical race theory and whatever Jackson's ‘hidden agenda’ is." 

Roll Call's Jim Saksa also suggested Blackburn was being disrespectful.

Tweet by HuffPo reporter Jennifer Bendery

Tweet by Jim Saksa (Twitter)

The Atlantic’s Molly Jong-Fast put it bluntly, writing the profanity, "FFS."

Tweet by reporter Molly Jong Fast (Twitter)

"You can always count on the mainstream media to target and harass the only female conservative in the room – it appears that’s their full time job," an aide for the senator told Fox News Digital.

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