Rep. Mark Sanford has been called many names during his political career, but being labelled an Eagle Scout on a cable news chyron was “a first.”
Sanford was invited on CNN Tuesday to discuss about President Trump’s remarks at the 2017 National Scout Jamboree on Monday.
“You are also an Eagle Scout, I learned this morning, congressman,” CNN’s Kate Bolduan said to Sanford. “What do you make of that speech?”
Sanford said Trump deviated from the event’s tradition of focusing on civic themes to talk about politics to his own detriment, because of how the press reacted. While the South Carolina Republican and Freedom Caucus member spoke, a graphic appeared on screen below identifying him as “Rep. Mark Sanford (R) Eagle Scout.”
“I loved my time with [the] Boy Scouts,” Sanford said. “It’s an incredible program, and I think it’s important to keep politics out of that program.”
When pushed to expand, Sanford added he did not think Scout troops wanted to listen to political rhetoric.
“But I can’t speak for all Scout troops out there,” he said. “That would be my guess.”
Sanford later tweeted about the chyron.
“This was a first… #EagleScout,” he wrote, accompanied by a photo of himself on camera.
This was a first… #EagleScout pic.twitter.com/mo2y5X1dVk
— Mark Sanford (@RepSanfordSC) July 25, 2017
