NBC's chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd rebuked Stephen Colbert for his satirical political candidacy on Thursday, accusing the Comedy Central host of undermining the political process and approaching the election with a liberal agenda.
Todd, appearing on a panel at Winthrop University, said Colbert “is making a mockery of the system,” and that he was “very offended when [Colbert] testified on Capitol Hill in character” and “more offended that members of Congress allowed him to do that.”
While Todd repeatedly mentioned how much he enjoys Colbert's show, he argued that the satirist will contribute to the trivialization of institutions, producing “a generation even more cynical than we are now.”
Institutions, in case it wasn’t clear, that Todd reveres and respects.
Also Read: Watch Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert Not Coordinating (Video)
Todd also contended that Colbert is trying to push an anti-Republican agenda, and that by covering it as solely a satire and a shtick, he and his fellow media members are participating in the marginalization of the Republican candidates.
Here's the video (post continues after):
For that reason, Todd believes comedians like Colbert and Jon Stewart “need to be held accountable for what they do.”
“Both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have this ability to want to mock us in the media all the time for claiming we don’t do our jobs, but when we call them out on it they say ‘we’re just comedians.’ Actually, no you’re not anymore,” Todd said.
That is an argument the likes of former "Crossfire" host Tucker Carlson and Fox News' Chris Wallace have made on repeated occasions, and it appears Todd has had enough shtick as well.