At the end of his State of the Union speech, Donald Trump spread the newest “pro-life” lie about how expanded abortion rights include “infanticide.” This bogus claim is making its way around right-wing media so it was no surprise to see the America’s Newsroom hosts merely smile while GOP Rep. Steve Scalise validated the SOTU lie.

Tuesday morning, America’s Newsroom hosts, Bill Hemmer and Sandra Smith, asked Scalise to discuss his reactions to Trump’s State of the Union speech. Scalise used the opportunity to bash Democrats with tired, old, right-wing talking points about how Democrats want to take Americans’ guns away and don’t want border security.

Hemmer cited Trump’s SOTU comments about abortion as another “hot button story” and played video from the speech:

"Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments from birth. And then, we had the case of the governor of Virginia where he stated he would execute a baby after birth. To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb."

Hemmer noted that Scalise is “pushing a bill, today, related to this matter” and, in an almost reverential tone, he asked, “On what, sir?”

Scalise’s response provided us with a diatribe that was a FLAT OUT LIE:

"What the president was talking about yesterday was these laws in New York and Virginia where literally when a baby is born alive that they still can kill the baby. That’s not abortion, that’s murder. I don’t understand how anybody can say if a baby is born alive you can still kill the baby.”

Scalise said about the bill he cosponsored, “You can’t, in America, kill a baby after it’s born" and continued to spread the big lie: "I don’t even know why we need to pass that law but right now they’re able to do it. And in New York and Virginia, they’re trying to do it. We need to stop that. Whether you’re pro-life or pro-choice, you should agree if a baby is born alive, nobody should have the right to take that life away."

Scalise noted that he was moving a discharge position to force a floor vote and pass it, then applauded Trump for “touching on this important issue.”

Rather than inform Scalise that he was promoting a dangerous falsehood, Hemmer summed it up: “Everybody’s got to go on record with a yes or no, don’t they?”

Scalise urged everybody to be on record and support the bill and continued the great, big lie when he asked, “How can you say that if a baby is born alive, that you can then still take the life of the baby?”

Hemmer and Smith thanked Scalise and said it was “great” to get his reaction to the SOTU.

Scalise’s (and Trump’s) bogus claim, that New York’s new abortion law and Virginia’s failed abortion legislation promote the killing of living children, is a crock of crap, as reported by fact checkers. Neither legislation legalizes infanticide; but, rather they expand the reasons for later-term abortion to include the health of the mother which is in accordance with Roe v. Wade.

Scalise’s lie was bad enough. It was worse that Hemmer and Smith just let it go. That validated the lie, thus providing metaphorical ammunition for the next “pro-life” terrorist. But that doesn’t seem to be a concern for America’s News(?)room!

Watch the big lie get bigger and bigger on the February 7, 2019 America’s Newsroom.