Right this moment’s Morning Joe introduced on Cait Conley, the Democratic challenger to Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in New York’s seventeenth district, and gave her a prolonged alternative to assault the Trump administration and Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth over issues on the USS Abraham Lincoln.
When the dialog lastly turned to the race itself, Mika Brzezinski posed the pure query: why ought to voters select Conley over the incumbent?
Besides . . . Lawler’s identify got here out sounding loads nearer to “Lawyer.”
Conley seized on it immediately.
“Mika, I feel your slip there truly hits him spot on. He is a liar.”
Joe Scarborough later tried to scrub it up, insisting Mika had mentioned “Lawyer.”
Conley was having none of it: “Sorry: I heard what I do know [about Lawler.]”
Mika by no means rejected the “liar” studying. On the contrary, she responded to Joe’s “lawyer” declare with an ironic, lengthy “W-e-l-l-l.”
And as you may see within the screencap, she and Conley shared a realizing chortle over the slip. No distance. No apology. Only a chuckle that left the clear impression the unintentional smear was moderately handy.
Conley piled on, claiming Lawler has accomplished nothing however assist Trump “100% of the time.” That determine comes from a selective VoteHub evaluation of 2025 flooring votes on which the president took a transparent place — a rating shared by 182 of 219 Home Republicans.
Conley ignored Lawler’s precise report. Impartial measures persistently rank him among the many most bipartisan members of Congress: Bridge Grades just lately gave him a 99.2 rating (tied for sixth within the Home and the very best within the New York delegation), and earlier Lugar Heart/Georgetown rankings positioned him close to the highest for working throughout the aisle. He has damaged with occasion orthodoxy on district priorities akin to elevating the SALT deduction and becoming a member of Democrats on Short-term Protected Standing for Haitians.
Watch the trade. Mika’s chortle and the dearth of any correction on her half converse louder than Scarborough’s subsequent cleanup makes an attempt.
Here is the transcript.
MS NOW
Morning Joe
8/14/26
7:14 am EDTMIKA BRZEZINSKI: All proper, let’s discuss what else is at stake on this election, on this alternative between you and Congressman Lawyer. Why ought to—Lawler—why ought to voters in New York seventeenth, select you?
CAIT CONLEY: I imply, Mika, I feel your, your slip there truly hits him spot on. He is a liar.
Like, this man sits there and can look you within the eye and attempt to let you know the issues he is accomplished to make your life higher. And within the actuality, the one factor he is accomplished is assist Donald Trump 100% of the time.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, Mika truly mentioned “Lawyer,” then some folks type of modified it to —
CONLEY: Sorry: I heard what I do know. [Conley and Mika share laugh.]
