Please Enjoy Scott Morrison Abruptly Fleeing After Being Caught In A Lie
It's already a meme.
Scott Morrison’s been having a bit of a shocker lately, and yesterday was no exception. After a journalist appeared to catch him in a lie at a press conference, our esteemed Prime Minister responded by abruptly ending the conference and fleeing.
ScoMo’s Great Escape took place after journalist Samantha Maiden asked him about a bit of a touchy subject: a 2011 report that he urged the Coalition to exploit anti-Muslim sentiment as part of an election strategy. Morrison has repeatedly denied saying this, and has been telling media that his colleague Greg Hunt backs him up — on the record.
Except, as Sam Maiden pointed out at the press conference, “the problem with that is that Greg Hunt did not attend the meeting” where Scott Morrison reportedly made the comments in the first place. She went on to point out that those who actually did attend the meeting told the Sydney Morning Herald that Morrison had made the comments, but before she could finish the sentence ScoMo cut her off.
“Sam, I’m going to stop you there,” he said. “I’ve already addressed this issue today. It’s an ugly and repugnant lie, I reject it absolutely one hundred percent, and my record of working with the Muslim community in Sydney in particular speaks volumes for my track record. Any suggestion to the contrary I find utterly offensive. Thank you.”
He then walked out of the room, leaving assembled media hanging.
PM @ScottMorrisonMP says the claim that at a 2010 shadow cabinet meeting he sought to capitalise on anti-muslim sentiment is an "ugly and repugnant lie". #auspol #qldpol pic.twitter.com/PejKOfYIjs
— David Marler (@Qldaah) March 20, 2019
Now, you might note that he never addressed the elephant (that wasn’t) in the room: Greg Hunt. While Hunt did tell The New Daily yesterday that Scott Morrison didn’t make the comments, way back in 2011 he also told the ABC that he wasn’t actually at the meeting.
I wondered if I could find anything in Greg Hunt’s words in the public record about what Morrison said in Shadow Cabinet. It wasn’t hard to find. This from an interview with Marius Benson in Feb 2011: “unfortunately I wasn’t at the meeting…” pic.twitter.com/YigrLaUrlL
— Tim Beshara (@Tim_Beshara) March 20, 2019
It’s Greg Hunt’s word against Greg Hunt’s word, basically. Naturally, the whole debacle is already a meme.
how to photoshop greg hunt into a meeting he was not in
— Aus Gov Just Googled (@GovGoogles) March 20, 2019
BOUNCER: Had a good night mate? How many have ya had?
ME: oNE orrrr tWo
BOUNCER: Can anyone vouch for ya?
ME: Greg Hunt.
— Matt Burke🥚 (@matttburke) March 20, 2019
It’s okay. Greg Hunt says it didn’t happen. pic.twitter.com/eMTXIyuMl3
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) March 20, 2019
Anyway, next time you need to take a sick day, try telling your boss Greg Hunt vouches for you. With any luck, they won’t even question it.