MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan busted GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy by producing receipts on-camera to refute Ramaswamy’s denials over a scholarship he received.
In a stunning exchange from a buzzworthy interview that aired on Tuesday’s editing of Peacock’s The Mehdi Hasan Showthe candidate confidently denied he made hundreds of thousands of dollars prior to applying for a scholarship that benefits children of immigrants.
But in a stunning exchange, Hasan doggedly pressed Ramaswamy and held up the candidate’s tax returns — finally getting him to admit the truth:
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: Which falsehood would you like me to address? The financial one or the or the one about my views on affirmative action? Because I can go…
MEHDI HASAN: Did you not make $750,000.00?
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: … financial piece of it. Not at, Not at the time that I had applied for the…
MEHDI HASAN: Yes, you did. Yes you did, Vivek!
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: In December — on Dece-
MEHDI HASAN: This is. This is awkward for you because you did. I’ve got the tax returns in front of my face!
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: It’s not awkward for you. Yes. On December 31st, when the application for the scholarship was that October met. You’re wasting your time on childish details.
MEHDI HASAN: Go ahead — details matter to me.
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: In October of that year when applied for that scholarship. And it was. Well, guess what? The bonuses that a hedge fund pays. And it’s a shame that, again, you don’t have to be an expert on this, but if you’re going to spout out, you better know something about it. People pay at a hedge fund the bonuses at the end of a year. And on December 31st, that’s when I was paid. I applied for the scholarship in September, and I didn’t know under the previous family we.
MEHDI HASAN: You made more money the previous year.
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: I made $200,000 pretax or whatever it was.
MEHDI HASAN: You didn’t, no you didn’t. You’re now selling flat — in 2009.
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: Do you have my returns in front of you?
MEHDI HASAN: I do! You made $650,000. In 2010, you made less, $450,000. So the argument that you only made the money — pre-the scholarship…
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: Pre-tax!
MEHDI HASAN: Scholarship for you. Oh, so now we’re bringing tax into it, we’ve been using gross numbers…
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: Absolutely! How much…
(CROSSTALK)
MEHDI HASAN: You accepted a Soros scholarship for $50,000 when you didn’t need it.
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: Well, you know what? The fact is, Mehdi, is $50,000 did make a big difference to me back then. And anybody who has a few hundred thousand dollars in the bank is going to take $50,000 without strings attached, take the scholarship. But my question for you is, why on earth are you as an intelligent person, interested in politics, obsessing over a 24 year old’s $50,000 scholarship?
MEHDI HASAN: I’m interested in truth, Vivek! It’s what is on the cap that you wear!
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: It’s beneath you — we’ve got a country to fix…
MEHDI HASAN: I’m interested in truth, and I like people tellig the truth!
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: Mehdi that’s why I released 20– That is why I released 20 years of tax records
The interview earned Hasan praise on social media and a victory lap on several MSNBC programs.
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