December 18, 2008
MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski Mugged in D.C.
UPDATE: The Post has identified the hotel as the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown.
The Washington Times reported this morning that Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski was mugged outside a D.C. hotel early this morning. Video of the show's segment in which Joe Scarborough details the crime is above.
"A guy walks across the street straight for her," Mr. Scarborough said, adding the hotel should "at least police five feet outside their own doors." Mrs. Brzezinski said she gave the mugger the $6 in cash she had with her, adding that he asked her for $20 and said something along the lines of "Give me money and nothing will happen."We're certainly happy to hear that Brzezinski was not hurt, and wish we could say that this sort of thing was all that surprising.
By coincidence, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty was a scheduled guest on the show this morning to talk about education reform and plans for the presidential inauguration. Imagine the bad luck involved there for the mayor. All Fenty could do was promise that that the city is "going to look at it and work with the hotel and the police department." For her part, Brzezinski seemed a lot more understanding and circumspect about what happened than Scarborough did, noting that "these are desperate times."
| 
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
[ report this ]
MSNBC must be putting her up in the Days Inn near the Checkers and Washington Times on NY Ave NE
[ report this ]
Was she wearing gang colors? That'll get you popped in this town.
[ report this ]
if we're lucky, Campbell Brown will get mugged too.
[ report this ]
Wow! The way Scarborough goes on, you'd think he was the one who was mugged.
And are Scarborough and Buchanan so clueless as not to realize she DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!?!?!? More proof that political commentators are completely clueless.
[ report this ]
Perhaps it WAS Campbell Brown who did the mugging.
Keep your pimp hand strong, Campbell!
[ report this ]
Given that there was no mention of a weapon, this sounds like a pretty lame mugging.
I mean, some dude walks up to you 5 feet outside an expensive hotel and says "give me 20 bucks and nothing happens"? Most people's reaction will be to say "no" and move on.
If anything, sounds like a line from a particularly obnoxious beggar.
[ report this ]
"Mrs. Brzezinski said she was embarrassed and didn't want him to tell viewers about the experience, but he detailed the mugging and complained the bell desk should have been paying attention."
I wish Joe Scarborough would shut the fuck up.
[ report this ]
"And are Scarborough and Buchanan so clueless as not to realize she DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!?!?!? More proof that political commentators are completely clueless."
Clueless or desperate to draw attention to themselves in the post-election news vacuum?
[ report this ]
Agree with By. Just shut up Joe! She was obviously upset and didn't want to cry on camera.
[ report this ]
What hotel was it?
Why didn't the mugger go for jewelry, watches, wallet, etc? Was there no one else around?
Whatever the hotel is, I bet they are shitting bricks about bad publicity on this.
[ report this ]
Which hotel was it?
And what a statement on DC that was, to say there should be security out front of every single hotel in DC, even in the nice neighborhoods. Where are we, Beirut?
[ report this ]
They didn't name the hotel on the air, so I don't know which hotel it was.
[ report this ]
They're intentionally not naming the hotel, although I'd really like to know which one it is.
And with Scarborough and Buchanan, if there had been cops there, they would have wanted them to have bigger guns. These are the kind of guys that want low taxes and no government intrusion, except when they need it, and for free.
[ report this ]
Sounds to me like she was shaken down by a homeless person. Heaven knows we're in a recession but ... a mugger just walks away with six bucks? What's the world coming to???
[ report this ]
C'mon - encountering an aggressive panhandler is not a mugging. Not pleasant, but not a mugging.
[ report this ]
In the article she says she loves the hotel. Maybe somewhere she stays regularly?
I'm with, Wizzyliz, sounds like a homeless guy demanding, rather than asking for money. Why didn't she just say no and take two steps back into the hotel?
[ report this ]
"These are the kind of guys that want low taxes and no government intrusion, except when they need it, and for free."
Like most government services aren't free? Perhaps they should charge for the fire fighter to come to your house when there is a fire. Oh wait, they do, it's called taxes. Just because they want lower taxes doesn't mean they don't want services, it just means they don't want to pay for all the crap. Like welfare.
[ report this ]
Hmmmm....yyyyyeeaaah. Not a mugging. Sorry. Just some dude that asked for money in a semi-aggressive manner. Which is probably why she was feeling uncomfortable when it was being made into a big deal on the show. I think super-vulnerable people need to learn how to be aggressive in return. I was taking photographs in Mt. Pleasant this past summer when I was approached by a homeless-looking character that said "give me that camera." I just told him to fuck off and that was the end of that. I think a similar response from Brzezinski would have helped for sure.
[ report this ]
If she stays there regularly, the hotel name is going to come out. I already have my guess, based on where the Fox studios are located (upper northwest), the "I love the hotel" comment, and homeless population/aggressive pandhandling in the area. While there is a nice enough hotel at the Pavillion at Chevy Chase (closest to their studios), my bet is a certain historic hotel on Connecticut Ave. (although they usually have doormen outside, so it's odd.) But...it could be the Georgetown hotel named after the different times of the year, or the histoic hotel near the zoo. But my gut is saying my first pick is right.
Anyone want to start a betting pool on this? I clearly would rather play junior detective vs. getting back to work.
[ report this ]
And are Scarborough and Buchanan so clueless as not to realize she DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!?!?!?
Occupational hazard of working side-by-side with, not one, but two of the world's most tiresome living blowhards. I felt exhausted just looking at the still of this clip.
[ report this ]
She may have mistaken a valet for a mugger. He did ask her for some money..and didn't she get a car in return?
[ report this ]
klassy/
Remind me to ask her for some money if I ever come across her downtown
/klassy
[ report this ]
I've updated above... the WaPo identified the hotel as the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown.
[ report this ]
Scarborough is pissed because his manhood has been challenged by not being able to defend his co-hostess. "OOhhh I should have been there!" he screams in an impotent rage "I would have throat punched that welfare moocher!"
Scenario #2: She was faced with an aggressive panhandler, so she emptied her purse upon sight and then created a mildly threatening story to spice it up for her office pals- it blew out of proportion when it got mentioned on the air. I would be surprised if the "nothing will happen..." line was actually said. This smells like a total "you wouldn't believe what happened to me today..." exaggeration. Except this one was repeated by a dumbass co-host on national TV.
All that aside, I am glad she is ok, and was not eaten alive by the cannibal panhandler variety that congregates by the Mayflower at 6am.
[ report this ]
I thinks she's more embarrassed to explain why she spent the night at the Ritz. A little morning Joe, perhaps?
[ report this ]
Are we positive the perpetrator wasn't just one of the US auto execs in town trying to scrounge up some additional cash? I mean was anybody watching to make sure they actually left town after they scored their 14-15 billion?
If not, I suspect one of them was kind of like, "well, shoot, so long as we're here . . . this nice lady looks like she's got a spare $20."
You can ALWAYS use an extra $20. Those G5s don't refuel themselves, ya know, and that $20 will come in handy for that extra 1/100th of a second at 37,000 feet.
[ report this ]
I for one applaud any actions in the city that keep it less inviting to Outsiders. Huzzah! I need a "BEWARE OF RESIDENTS" sign.
[ report this ]
Ritz Carlton in Georgetown? Isn't that the place with the killer mold in the walls? Boo, hiss.
So much for my betting pool - I would have been out more money than she was.
[ report this ]
The Ritz Carlton doesn't have a doorman available to help you flag down a cab?
[ report this ]
She's such a hypocrite. She didn't even report it to the police. You can't fix the system if they don't know about it! If Scarborough was a real man, he would have paid for his ho's separate taxi.
Could this be a Marion Berry botched robbery? Remember when Marion got beat up by a mugger who happened to be his delivery boy? The cops never figured out if the delivery boy was delivering love or drugs.
[ report this ]
One of the many good things about DCist is that it provides ongoing affirmation of my urban hipness. In this case that affirmation comes by knowing that other urban hipsters, like myself, are savvy enough to determine, w/ oh so little in the way of facts, what's really going on in this City. Clearly the person that threatened Brezinski and took her money was not at all threatening. Too bad Brezinski is just dumb TV person that couldn't figure that out.
Good grief.
[ report this ]
NEWS FLASH: Brzezinski provided a description of her attacker:
5' 3" tall, adorable w/ black and white markings, and trapped inside a snow globe.
Anyone with information should call MSNBC's Morning Joe.
[ report this ]
A DC thug/homeless person/miscreant/Obama voter (redistribute that wealth) tries that crap with me and he's likely to end up with a free trip to the hospital. At the very least.
[ report this ]
That's a dangerous district of town. A Bush administration official committed perjury over there and some financiers stole billions of dollars around the corner.
[ report this ]
The Ritz-Carlton is not in Georgetown. It's in the West End. Maybe you're getting it mixed up with the Four Seasons, since it's the only other hotel that out-of-town famous people feel comfortable staying at.
[ report this ]
Wrong Reid, there is a Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown and one in West End.
[ report this ]
Can't you walk anywhere in this scumbag city without getting mugged/stabbed/killed?
the Ritz on 23rd st is a Residences/Hotel. The one in Georgetown is a smaller hotel only.
[ report this ]
I have to agree agree with the folks on here who say that a rude panhandler does not a mugger make . I'll admit most of the panhandlers in this city are a little cooky and a few of them have a very definite sense of entitlement, but believe me, if you get mugged in DC you'll know you're being mugged. There will be no ambiguity about it .
(for instance a friend of mine was punched in the face and her cellphone was taken from her right behind union station 4 weeks ago. That was a mugging. Another acquaintance was held up at knife point. That was a mugging)
[ report this ]
Hmmm. Mika's a good looking woman. Is she on Fox news? she aught to be.
[ report this ]
Isn't here a gaggle of picketers infront of the Ritz every morning? Maybe one of the "paid to picket" homeless people got there a little early and made a run at Mika.