Former GOP staffers offer Dems friendly advice on how to handle hostile media

Ruthless podcast co-hosts Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook offer Democratic press secretaries "boot camp" on how to handle unusually hostile reporters during the ongoing Biden saga. (Screenshot/Ruthless)

The former GOP staffers who host the popular "Ruthless" podcast offered a "boot camp" for their Democratic counterparts on Capitol Hill who are suddenly facing a hostile media questioning President Biden's acuity. 

"Let me just start with a couple of truths in American politics that we all know and are very familiar with," Ruthless co-host John Ashbrook began the tongue-in-cheek lesson on Tuesday's episode. "The first one is that the easiest job in town is Democrat press secretary. The second is that Democrat hearts are notoriously cold and power hungry. Republican hearts are big and giving. That's just the way it is." 

"And here, as a display of bipartisanship, we know that these Democrat press secretaries have never in their careers had to do their job a single day. So we thought as Republicans we could provide a few tips for them to keep in mind as they are fielding questions from reporters they've never before fielded," Ashbrook said.

Co-host Michael Duncan provided the first tip, which involves how Democratic press secretaries should handle reporters when confronted on Capitol Hill. 

"You may not be used to this when you're walking around the Capitol with your boss, but when you're in an elevator and it gets to the floor and the doors open, you're gonna see reporters there," Duncan said. "This may be new to you, but they're gonna have questions that you have to answer. And so what you're gonna want to do is huddle with your boss before that door opens and figure out what his statement or her statement will be."

"You mean something other than like, ‘How’s your day? Or what's your favorite color?'" co-host Josh Holmes chimed in. 

"Well, there's no Donald Trump tweet for them to read for you to react to," Duncan quipped. 

Holmes, Duncan and Ashbrook previously served as top aides and campaign strategists to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.