A multitude of conservative former CNN contributors attacked the network after a segment in which the host and guests mocked President Trump and his supporters.
New York Times columnist and CNN contributor Wajahat Ali and ex-GOP strategist Rick Wilson participated in a panel with Don Lemon on Saturday night. They were discussing the recent fight between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly. During an interview, Pompeo screamed at Kelly and demanded she locate Ukraine, the topic of the initial disagreement, on an unlabeled map.
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While discussing the confrontation on CNN, Wilson pivoted the conversation to the president’s supporters and suggested that Trump supporters wouldn’t be able to find Ukraine on a map and that they would label being able to do so as a sign of elitism. Ali and Lemon laughed at Wilson, who used fake a southern accent to sound like a Trump supporter. Ali later chimed in with his own ridicule of Trump backers while Lemon laughed so hard he used a tissue to wipe tears from his eyes.
A number of conservatives, including President Trump himself, decried the network and the segment on social media after it went viral on Monday evening. Some of the network’s former contributors chimed in to chide the outlet.
Also a reminder that @WajahatAli is a blatant bigot who used an “Uncle Tom” trope against me on-air at @CNN, declaring that white Trump supporters “will never love you Steve, no matter how hard you try to be the Latin face of Trump.”https://t.co/d6BBZup8et https://t.co/r4gfQipkNG
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) January 28, 2020
Steve Cortes, who was a contributor for the network until earlier this month, tweeted, “The smug political class hates the tens of millions of Americans who comprise our movement. They can cackle and grandstand … as we build a country based on sovereignty, economic nationalism, and the diffusion of power.”
He also took a shot at Ali, calling him a “blatant bigot” stemming from an on-air confrontation between the two earlier this year.
Doubtful. The problem is they see nothing wrong with this type of blatant bigotry. https://t.co/hLEG9kKlNf
— PARIS (@PARISDENNARD) January 28, 2020
Paris Dennard, who faced a suspension from the network amid allegations of sexual harassment, tweeted, “Sad and offensive but not in the least bit surprising,” and added, “Doubtful. The problem is they see nothing wrong with this type of blatant bigotry.”
Similarly, former CNN contributor Jason Miller, who left the network after a mistress claimed he drugged a different mistress with an abortion pill after finding out she was pregnant, tweeted out the video with the caption, “Wow,” while also retweeting a multitude of other people’s criticisms.
CNN did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
