President Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out at CNN, as well as MSNBC, after a Florida high school shooting survivor told Fox News that CNN gave him scripted questions at the town hall discussion with the survivors of the massacre.
“’School shooting survivor says he quit CNN Town Hall after refusing scripted question,’” Trump tweeted, tagging Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who interviewed the student Thursday evening. “Just like so much of CNN, Fake News. That’s why their ratings are so bad! MSNBC may be worse.”
“School shooting survivor says he quit @CNN Town Hall after refusing scripted question.” @TuckerCarlson. Just like so much of CNN, Fake News. That’s why their ratings are so bad! MSNBC may be worse.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2018
Appearing on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Colton Haab, who is a junior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people were killed in a mass shooting last week, said that CNN tried to rewrite one of his questions during the town hall discussion. He said he quit the event because he considered it a “waste of time.”
CNN tweeted and released a statement denying the student’s claims.
“CNN did not provide or script questions for anyone in last night’s town hall, nor have we ever,” the network’s communications team said in a tweet.
There is absolutely no truth to this story — and we can prove that. CNN did not provide or script questions for anyone in last night's town hall, nor have we ever. Those are the facts. #FactsFirst ?
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) February 23, 2018
CNN hosted a town hall discussion on gun violence Wednesday evening between lawmakers, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), the NRA and the student survivors and parents of victims of the shooting last week.
The tweet comes as conspiracy theorists on the far-right have spread baseless claims that the students who have been vocal about gun control since the shooting are actors being paid by far-left, anti gun groups.
