CNN's Chris Cuomo Misquotes Himself in Facebook Defense

May 5th, 2015 4:13 PM

Oh-so-sensitive CNN journalist Chris Cuomo went on his Facebook page to address the recent anti-cop quotes that he says were taken out of context. He got in some hot water for saying police officers, “you know how they are.” He wrote:

“perception matters in sensitive situations like ?#?baltimore and truth matters. I did not insult the cops as relayed by a couple of online outlets. Here is the truth: cops since curfew have asked me to warn people not to form chains or do anything after curfew but leave. And that any approaching of officers would be taken as provocation and potential arrest. You just can't do it. Doesn't matter if you are trying to help. They will do that job and they won't take changes with discussing what they do with protestors before doing it.

The young men, while stating good intentions, were doing exactly what cops said not to do
So I was leveling with them, relating the obvious: if

You do what the cops say not to they will take you down. We had already seen exactly that the night before.

This is being interpreted as my bias vs police or their actions. I have reported just the opposite. I said just the opposite ALL NIGHT. check it.

This is being twisted to paint a picture of media anti cop bias. One outlet even sources a twitter account that is just some guy, making it seem like he is part of some legit CNN-based media watchdog. Ridiculous.

One reason cops have allowed us to be in such proximity is the trust we built with how we report what happens. They don't always like it but they see it is straight.

The arrests we saw in last couple days square with this reckoning: the cops are not playing around. This is dangerous for them. If you ignore instructions like curfew and approach them in a way that seems provocative (like ignoring instruction and invading space) they will be aggressive

THATS HOW THEY ARE. and that is not an insult.”

That would be a great explanation….if in fact that’s what he said, but it isn’t.  He said, “Just be careful, because you know how they are. If you seem like you're being provocative towards them, you know how things can go…”

Just take a look at the transcript – context and all:

CHRIS CUOMO: You have the police here in bigger numbers. They're getting ready to deploy. And when they saw the violence in the street, they're now shielding up, and they're getting ready to come up. So you have a situation now where you have people in the public space. The curfew is getting close. They're saying to go home – and they're pushing us forward – but them being in the street is going to be a problem.

I know they're saying, go home. They're saying, keep the peace; go home – but they're in the street and walking toward the cops. (protester chanting, "Going home, keep the peace!") You got to know: walking – walking toward the cops in the middle of the street – they're going to come at you.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: We're going home. We're going home. We're going home-

CUOMO: All right. Just be-

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: We're not going towards them. We're going to the side. We believe in keeping the peace. We're not out here to riot. We're not out here to cause havoc. We're keeping the peace. You see, right now, we're splitting up. Everyone split up on the side – we're walking down-

CUOMO: Just be careful, because you know how they are. If you seem like you're being provocative towards them, you know how things can go-

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Most definitely; most definitely. We're not here for that. We're going home, sir.

CUOMO: Be safe; be safe.

“That’s how they are” and “You know how they are” are quite different meanings.  It’s quite clear that Cuomo is trying to reframe the context of which his comments were made and insisting it's false to say he has an "animus."

If Cuomo were so adamant that he said nothing wrong, or that his insists his quotes were taken out of context, then why doesn’t he supply a transcript of the encounter?  And why hide behind Facebook and issue a response to your fans -that’s like preaching to the choir!

I took a look at Cuomo’s Facebook page, and sure enough, there were mostly comments from adoring fans.  One comment I did come across, which Cuomo himself actually responded, was a question as to why he deleted at tweet between himself and a “conservative attack dog” –John Nolte of Breitbart.com. Cuomo insists those tweets were “too hard to follow,” but that he stands by his tweets:

Cuomo says he “OWNS ALL TWEETS,” then why not OWN the transcript and stand by his remarks?  Easy. It’s because he can’t, and no amount of back-peddling will help him.

I wonder if Mr. Cuomo ever thought about telling an officer or two on camera, “Just be careful….because you know how they are…..if it looks like you are getting provocative towards them, you know how things can go.” I’m sure only then he would say it would be a “biased” statement to make.

If there’s one thing Cuomo is good at, it’s acting the part of a millionaire one percenter, son of a wealthy former state governor, and CNN “journalist” trying to relate to the people on the streets of Baltimore by being “down with the cause.”  Statements such as the one he made shouldn’t be made from a true journalist, where bias is a no-no.  Maybe he missed that part in class.