In a new book, The Message, political journalist and the executive editor of MSNBC.com Richard Wolffe recalls a meeting between President Obama and liberal supporters during the 2012 campaign. His colleague, MSNBC host Ed Schultz, plays a part in it.
Ed Schultz sat listening to others opine before ripping into an impassioned plea for the president to stand up and fight. The forty-fourth president of the United States listened calmly and nodded his head, surprising his aides with a meek appearance that successfully masked how little patience he had for such criticism.
Media outlets picked up on this excerpt, writing that Schultz “ranted” at President Obama. On his radio show yesterday, Schultz responded to those reports, saying “There was no rant. There was no tirade. There was no engagement of negativity between me and the President of the United States.”
That said, Schultz also added that Wolffe’s characterization of the meeting was wrong:
“I’m not going to go so far as to say Richard Wolffe owes me an apology. I’m, no, I’ve got a thicker skin than that. But I will tell you that this is an inaccurate depiction of the conversation.”