MSNBC took its fear mongering smears of the Donald Trump administration to a dark new low Monday afternoon when reporter Katy Tur suggested the president’s war with the media would start racking up actual casualties. During an interview with Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer, a Republican, Tur suggested Trump would take a page from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s playbook and start targeting journalists for death.

“As we know, there's, since 2000, been a couple dozen suspicious deaths of journalists in Russia who came out against the government there,” Tur reminded the Senator before unscrupulously suggesting Trumps distaste for the media would escalate, “Donald Trump has made no secret about going after journalists and his distaste for any news that doesn't agree with him here. Do you find that this is a dangerous path he is heading down?”

Fischer defended the President, saying that it’s his job to foster relationships with leaders from countries around the globe. “And I believe that President Trump will recognize, or does recognize right now, who Putin is,” she added in his defense.

But Tur wasn’t having any of it, pressuring the Senator by asking, “What makes you say that he does recognize who Putin is when he hasn't said so publicly?” The Senator tried to argue that the new president wasn’t going to sour the relationship right out of the gate, but was cut off by her interviewer. “There is a difference between attacking and flattering,” Tur spat.

The Senator tried to put Tur’s worries about Trump’s handling of Putin to rest, stating that Trump “will have very firm, very harsh, if need be, conversations with Putin…” And that the United States would not allow Putin to “re-establish some kind of empire for himself…”

Tur scoffed at the idea that our allies would be reassured by the Trump White House. “We will see if they are convinced by that,” she said dismissively.

NBC has demonstrated a blatant willingness to ignore Trump’s toughness on Russia and mischaracterize his understanding of the Russian tyrant. Tur claimed Trump was “going above and beyond -- bending over backwards” for the Russian president. But these are the same people who blacked-out how the administration stood up to Russia during UN Security Council meeting last week.

And to suggest that Trump would follow Putin down a “dangerous path” and start assassinating journalist is vile. It’s reporting like this that helps to create the circumstances for the violent rhetoric we’re seeing from the left, such as Madonna talking about blowing up the White House and Sarah Silverman calling for a military coup.

Transcript below:

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