Appearing on CNN’s The Situation Room Monday, Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) complained that President Trump has made everyone who decides to “cross the border undocumented” into a criminal. Menendez also complained that “if a person has a driving while under the influence violation, he is now making, saying that’s a criminal.” These bizarre statements seemed to fly right over host Wolf Blitzer’s head, as he did not push back on Menendez at all.

Menendez apparently didn’t consider the fact that American citizens face criminal charges for driving under the influence. He didn't consider it might look politically tone-deaf to downplay the immorality of drunk driving, dismissing the friends and families of people killed by drunk drivers. In 2010 in northern Virginia, an illegal immigrant with previous drunk-driving offenses plowed into a car with three nuns in it, killing one and seriously injuring another. Why did Blitzer just let Menendez give a speech?

In fairness, Blitzer did press Menendez on “the sensitive issue involving beds.” He mentioned "Going into the negotiations, as you know, Democrats wanted about 35,000 ICE detention beds. Then on Friday, they proposed a cap of less than half that number. Why did Democrats take a stand on that issue when talks seemed to be going so well?”

Menendez refused to take any responsibility for the Democrats’ decision. Instead, he began talking like a fiscal conservative; describing ICE as “out of control” and complaining that “they’re already 8,000 beds daily over their existing budget.”

Blitzer then asked Menendez to respond to the Deputy Director of ICE’s assertion that “a cap on beds” “would be ‘extremely damaging to the public safety of this country.’” Menendez did not answer the question; instead, he made the point that “the reason that they are already 8,000 over their budgeted amount, so they’re violating the budget, is because of the President’s zero tolerance policy that has turned everyone, regardless of their record, into a criminal.” At this point, Menendez made the false statement about the criminality of illegal immigrants who drive drunk.

This is hardly the first time that Menendez has benefitted from a free pass from the media. As NewsBusters has previously reported, the media barely covered the Senate’s admonishment of Menendez for “accepting gifts from a donor in exchange for promoting his interests.” The three networks devoted an astonishing 49 seconds to the story; with NBC not covering it at all.

Similarly, the media expressed little interest in a Democratic fundraiser in Puerto Rico attended by Menendez. Of the three Sunday shows, only Face the Nation bothered to mention the fundraiser; which occurred in the middle of a government shutdown. As long as the media continues to cover for Democratic politicians, the American people will have a hard time believing their pretense of objectivity.

A transcript of the relevant portion of Monday’s edition of The Situation Room is below. Click “expand” to read more.