On Tuesday, a CNN executive defended the network’s decision to hire ex-Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) as a contributor even after CNN’s own top on-air talent spent the day bashing Duffy for his comments about House impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.
CNN Vice President Rebecca Kutler told Politico that CNN reports “from all points of view,” which means “having people who support the President’s policies.”
The exec claimed that Duffy’s comments and falsehoods (the contributor peddled President Donald Trump’s debunked conspiracy theory about Ukraine and the DNC server on his very first day at the network) were offset by facts presented by CNN reporters.
“Our air speaks for itself,” she said, referring to the CNN personalities who openly slammed Duffy after he baselessly claimed Vindman had an “affinity for the Ukraine” due to his Ukrainian-American heritage.
“That’s a pretty stunning comment you made just there, and it’s remarkable and notable given that Laura Ingraham last night, in her apparent talking points, brought it up as well,” “New Day” co-host John Berman told Duffy immediately after he made the remark.
Berman replayed the clip several minutes later after Duffy was off the air, telling co-host Alisyn Camerota that it was a “shocking statement to make.”
Several hours later, CNN anchor Brianna Keilar tore into Duffy’s “anti-immigrant bigotry” and derided the former congressman’s past career as a reality TV star in comparison to Vindman’s service in the military.
“It’s an odd questioning of patriotism coming from Sean Duffy, the guy who spent part of his 20s on MTV’s ‘The Real World’ and ‘Real World/Road Rules Challenge,’ while Alexander Vindman spent his on foreign deployments, including one to Iraq, where he earned a purple heart after he was injured by a roadside bomb,” she said.
Jeffrey Toobin, a fellow CNN contributor, hit Duffy’s “insanity.”
“This Fox News insanity, and with all due respect to our new contributor former congressman Duffy, his insanity and frankly, anti-immigrant bigotry that is reflected in casting aspersions on Vindman is really something,” said Toobin.
And CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza listed Duffy’s comment as part of the GOP’s “appalling” attempts to undermine Vindman’s credibility.
I actually like this hire for CNN. It helps them with the balance argument when conservatives try to bash CNN as left wing. And he’s so, so dumb that he’s actually a pretty poor messenger for the right wing, and he serves as a pretty convenient punching bag for everyone else on the network.
Why does he have cotton sticking out of his ears but no straws sticking out of his nose?
Hopefully they can hire some flat earth scientists while they’re at it.
So-called “conservatives” will bash CNN as left-wing regardless of “hires” like this idiot. To Jeff Zucker, Trump (and this kind of pettiness) means clicks which means eyeballs which means cash.
Hard to believe it’s been so long since this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZEBeing afraid of conservatives bashing your network ill-suits an organization theoretically dedicated to reporting facts.