In April, MSNBC’s intelligence “analyst” extraordinaire Malcolm Nance decided to take his LARPing to the next level by going to “fight” in Ukraine. You may recall Nance as being a rabidly anti-Trump figure throughout the last administration. Back in May of 2021, he proclaimed a coming Trump-led “terrorist and paramilitary insurgency.”
But as is true with essentially everything Nance says, he missed the mark by a mile and no such thing has materialized. Why? Because Nance is the biggest poser in media, constantly fluffing his resume and making it seem as if he were some former super-spy with immense expertise in military warfare. Nothing could be further from the truth, and he’s often beclowned himself with wild proclamations and predictions.
In regards to going to Ukraine, Nance made an appearance on Joy Reid’s ridiculous show, in which he cosplayed as an operator, ready to take the fight to the Russians. He also took to social media to put out the same vibes.
So, what’s Nance been up to? Has he been unloading on Putin’s soldiers at the front lines, which is the facade he’s tried to put up? Nah, it appears he’s not actually fighting at all. Instead, he’s hiding out in “safe houses” and talking to the press, likely of his own volition.
But he checks his equipment, so I guess that counts for something.
It’s hard to quantify the level of stolen valor and arrogance mixed up in all this. There are real people dying in Ukraine fighting the Russians. What’s going on in that country is not a game. Nance has almost certainly not even fired his weapon in anger, and it appears the most strenuous activity he’s had is doing PT every once and a while. Remember, this is a 60-something-year-old man.
But instead of just owning the fact that he’s a nobody sitting in the rear, grifting off false perceptions, his new game is to act as if the Ukrainians are acutely aware that he’s a “high-value asset.” In what way, exactly? What specific expertise does Nance hold that makes him of high value to the Ukrainian military? Is he helping them with strategy? Is he providing intelligence? I see no evidence any of that is happening. Rather, it looks like he’s sitting in a city with no on-the-ground fighting, doing media hits.
Here’s the thing. It would be fine if Nance had gone over there with body armor and a helmet, and just acted as a journalist. There’s still danger in that, and anyone willing to do it deserves respect. I would have happily said “good for you, Nance,” if that’s the path he took. He didn’t do that, though, choosing to take things to absurd levels, pretending he’s something he’s not. That should elicit mockery, not praise.