RT America host Ed Schultz tweeted a video rant against President Obama on Thursday for his criticism of Donald Trump’s appearance on Schultz’s Kremlin-backed network, charging that Obama himself had done three sit-down interviews on "Russian television."
Schultz was a left-wing MSNBC firebrand before his program, The Ed Show, was canceled in July 2015. Aside from his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he openly backed Obama’s policies and fiercely criticized his Republican opponents. However, he has shifted in tone since joining RT America in January to host a news program.
Trump, who has expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, was criticized by Obama and others for doing a phone interview with Larry King that aired on the RT program PoliticKing.
"I find it more than interesting that last week in the mainstream media, everybody was up in arms over the fact that Donald Trump did an interview with Larry King on RT America. Those Russians! That Russian television!" Schultz said. "How in the world could he do that? Well, they’re asking the wrong question. They should be asking, why did Barack Obama go on Russian television three times for sit-down interviews? Of course, the mainstream media forgot to mention that."
Give me a min to follow-up on #Trump's 'Russian Television' intvw & how Obama bashed it after he's done it 3 times! pic.twitter.com/7RhXD532vr
— Ed Schultz (@NewswithEd) September 15, 2016
Schultz mocked Obama for criticizing Trump’s appearance on RT when he stumped for Clinton this week in Philadelphia.
"Didn’t you do that, Mr. President?" Schultz asked.
It was unclear to what Obama interviews he was referring, although the president did speak with a Russian television channel in 2009 before visiting the country.
Schultz, pointing to Trump’s rise in the polls in states like Florida and Ohio, said "interviews are interviews," wherever they are done.
"You know what, it might be good for Hillary Clinton to do an interview with me on RT America," he said. "Maybe her ratings will go up, and she’ll retake the lead in Ohio and in Florida."