NBC anchor floats conspiracy that DeSantis flew migrants to Martha's Vineyard to cover for GOP senator: 'Convenient timing'

NBC News anchor Chuck Todd suggested Sunday that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) sent migrants to Martha's Vineyard last week to distract from abortion issues.

What is the background?

Last Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced a new bill that would institute a national ban on abortion after 15 weeks. The timing of Graham's announcement was controversial for two reasons.

First, Graham was criticized for taking attention away from August inflation numbers that showed inflation accelerated last month. Ironically, Graham's announcement came on the same day the Biden administration celebrated the Inflation Reduction Act, which clearly did not reduce inflation.

Second, Graham was criticized for drawing more attention to an issue that will galvanize Democratic voters and possibly hurt Republicans in tight elections. Many Republicans did not publicly endorse Graham's bill, not because they are pro-abortion, but because they agree with the Supreme Court that abortion is an issue that should be adjudicated by individual states.

What did Todd say?

While discussing the border crisis on NBC's "Meet the Press" and absolving the Biden administration of negligence, Todd highlighted what he believes could be "convenient" timing between Graham's announcement and DeSantis' migrant flights.

"There's a timing question I have," Todd said. "Lindsey Graham comes out with his 15-week abortion ban, and all of a sudden, the next day Ron DeSantis gets that off the front page. I'm not saying they're connected, but boy, it seemed [like] convenient timing."

When panelist Al Cardenas knocked the Biden administration for neglecting the issue, Todd turned to New York Times reporter Peter Baker to double down on his suggestion.

"I've gotten a few people wondering if we're just getting played by DeSantis. He's pulling a Trump on us, right?" Todd said. "But boy, he changed the subject and we all went to it."

Baker agreed that DeSantis succeeded in bringing spotlight to the issue — but called his point a "rational one."

"The point that he's making is, you know, a rational one to talk about: What level of responsibility do states that are not at the border have to help out? Fair enough," Baker said, noting the strategy has worked for Republicans in the past.

Meet The Press Full Broadcast - Sept. 18youtu.be

Unfortunately for Todd, Republican governors have not hidden the reason for transporting migrants to Democrat-run cities.

Not only are they sending willing migrants to "sanctuary" cities and towns to bring attention to the border crisis and the Biden administration's lack of response, but they strategically choose locations where Democrats will expose themselves as hypocrites.

Martha's Vineyard, for instance, shipped off the migrants the day after they arrived, while Chicago sent migrants to neighboring suburbs, and Washington, D.C., lawmakers decry a "state of emergency" over the flood of migrants, which they claim has transformed the nation's capital into a "border town."