NW Bergen News

Conservative commentator Steve Cortes has launched a scathing critique of MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle, labeling her a "sham propagandist" following Ruhle's appearance on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," where she sparked controversy by suggesting that Vice President Kamala Harris should not be compelled to answer questions. 

“I've known her a very long time and she is a sham propagandist, nothing more,” Cortes told NW Bergen News. “Which, by the way, there is nothing wrong with being an operative or with being a partisan. I'm one, okay, but I'm very blatant about what I am. I'm very honest about it. She's not. She claims to be a journalist and she's not remotely a journalist, she's not a storyteller. She's not a reporter. She's an activist who's posing as a journalist and that was revealed. I was kind of pleasantly shocked how honest she was on the Bill Maher show about saying that Kamala doesn't need to answer questions.” 

Ruhle, who was raised in Park Ridge, New Jersey and attended Park Ridge High School, told New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, “Kamala Harris is not running for ‘perfect.’ She’s running against Trump. We have two choices” before rebuking Stephens who suggested Harris needs to work harder for his vote. 

“I don’t think it’s a lot to ask her to sit down for a real interview as opposed to a puff piece,” Stephens said.  

Cortes highlighted Ruhle’s treatment of Stephens for urging transparency from Harris. 

“Her response was dismissive,” he said. 

Ruhle told Stephens, “When you move to Nirvana, give me your real estate broker’s number and I’ll be your next-door neighbor. We don’t live there.”

Ruhle's remarks towards Stephens’ have fueled concerns about journalistic integrity and the role of the media in holding power to account. 

The Free Press deemed Ruhle’s commentary as “Journalists Against Journalism.”

Cortes, who has frequently appeared on Ruhle’s show and has a long-standing acquaintance with her from when they both worked on Wall Street, expressed his discontent over Ruhle’s lack of traditional journalistic integrity.

“It’s absurd and insulting to the American people,” Cortes said.

Cortes argued that Ruhle’s comments epitomize a broader trend within legacy media to serve as a public relations arm for the political elite rather than holding them accountable.

Cortes emphasized that such attitudes undermine the principles of reporting. 

“It's insulting, of course, to the American people, but is at least revealing who Stephanie Ruhle is and who and what her platform represents,” he said. “And I don't mean just MSNBC, although it's particularly poisoned, but I mean the broader platform of the legacy media.” 

He accused Ruhle of contributing to a media landscape that prioritizes partisanship over skepticism, furthering the notion that her platform is more about activism than journalism.

“The press used to serve a proper function and a healthy republic in this country of being skeptical of those in power,” he said. “And the exact opposite is true now. Right, it has become a PR platform, a PR operation, public relations operation for the ruling class of America, including Kamala Harris.” 

Cortes suggested that Harris’s strategy of avoiding tough questions might be electorally motivated but detrimental to democratic discourse.

“As the American people become more aware of her policies and positions, the less favorable their opinions will be,” he warned, 

He added that the media's role has transformed to shaping public perception of political figures, particularly in regard to Harris's reluctance to engage in direct scrutiny. 

“Look, there's a reason that Kamala Harris continues to hide and her staff continues to hide her from scrutiny,” Cortes said. “And that is the more the American people fear, the more they hear her the more they're made aware of who she actually is, the less they will agree with her unless they like her. And so it's possibly an electorally correct strategy, but it's terrible for our country. It's terrible for our process. And Stephanie Ruhle is more than happy to act as a compliant actor in that absurd play of pretending that this is a real candidate who's facing real questions.” 

Ultimately, Ruhle's defense of Harris was met with the candidate's first solo interview, further complicating the narrative around media bias and accountability.

Despite the friendly environment, Harris still dodged questions from Ruhle. 

Subsequently, the interview was widely panned and even The New York Times criticized Harris's performance, highlighting her tendency to avoid direct answers and noting that Harris has been selectively engaging with "friendly inquisitors" who do not challenge her evasive responses, raising concerns about her media strategy.

Still, Ruhle defended Harris.

“Do I think that she answers every single question and gives people exactly what they want? She doesn’t. You know why? Because she’s a politician, and none of them do. They all speak in platitudes," Ruhle said.

Ruhle is a proud New Jersian and once told New Jersey Monthly that was the secret to her success. 

“I have New Jersey hustle,” she said. “My mom used to tell me, ‘You’re not the smartest, you’re not the tallest, you’re not the fastest, you’re not the most beautiful, but nobody can outwork you. You can do anything you set your mind to.’ That’s just the most Jersey approach ever, right?”