When you look at a news item, you should look at two things - what's there, and what's not there.

What's not in the account of Thomas' speech? Any direct quotations. When did you last see an account of a notable person's speech that had no quotation marks in it anywhere?

Probably Thomas never said the things Songwriter quotes, and y'all are getting all worked up over nothing. Stop being some hack's assistant troublemakers.