Tuesday night on Cuomo Prime Time, CNN host Chris Cuomo declined to condemn Democrat Maxine Waters’ inflammatory statements that liberals should harass Trump administration officials. Instead, he blamed President Donald Trump’s “divisive rhetoric” for a lack of civility in the country. Despite having two different guests challenge him on his 9:00 EST show, Cuomo refused to directly condemn statements from the Congresswoman that have most certainly incited action.
Cuomo’s first guest, Iowa Rep. Steve King showed deep concern for his colleagues in light of recent harassment of Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. King stated:
“I'm watching that be suppressed around the country with intimidation, attacks on my colleagues. I think they waited about a year for the anniversary of the shooting of Steve Scalise and others, and now, they're starting to challenge the members of this administration out in the restaurants and around the streets of America. That is something we should be concerned about, Chris.”
Instead of acknowledging the issue that Waters created, Cuomo flipped it back onto King, telling him “you’re part of the mix.” He then moved on to his whiteboard to show viewers how Paul Ryan, whom he called a “moral standard,” has lost his spine.
“[Ryan] gave a soft stance on one of his own members, Steve King, who was just on, retweeting a neo-Nazi saying, yes, that shouldn't be part of the dialogue. ‘But Maxine Waters, the Democrat, she should apologize,’ he says in full voice. Why? Well, telling people to protest the administration, we don't need that.”
Cuomo complained that President Trump has said dozens more inflammatory things. However, what he did not say was that conservatives are not the ones who are harassing members of the administration. Cuomo’s next challenge comes from panelist Jason Miller, who brings up a wanted poster for Stephen Miller, a top White House advisor. Cuomo backed down slightly, but then pivoted to his other guest, CNN Political Analyst Van Jones:
“And you know what? And I don't like it. And I don't like whataboutism. But I've got to tell you something -- Van Jones, when the president of the United States, then a citizen is trying his damnedest to convince people that the president is a Muslim who wasn't born in this country, who some kind of Manchurian candidate, that was pretty damn dangerous too. And you didn't hear Jason Miller or anybody else opposing it.”
Liberal violence seems to be ramping up at an alarming rate and yet media personalities refuse to condemn it, preferring to pin the situation on Trump.
Read a transcript of the selected clips from the June 26 show below:
Cuomo Prime Time
6/26/2018
9:00:30 PM EST
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN: We didn't start the fire. No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it. You remember those words from Billy Joel's 1989 song? Well, it's an anthem once again for what's going on right now right here. But President Trump has changed the lyrics. He isn't trying to fight it. He is a flamethrower, turbo-charging fears, concerns about America being changed for the worst by others. There is a fundamental battle afoot. Is our future as a nation one of inclusion or exclusion?
REP. STEVE KING: I believe in this country. I believe in the pillars of American exceptionalism. I want to restore them. I don't want to tear them down. We do have freedom of speech in this country.
CUOMO: Sure.
KING: I'm watching that be suppressed around the country with intimidation, attacks on my colleagues. I think they waited about a year for the anniversary of the shooting of Steve Scalise and others, and now, they're starting to challenge the members of this administration out in the restaurants and around the streets of America. That is something we should be concerned about, Chris.
CUOMO: Well, look, we've been talking about it on the show. I don't think this hostility helps anybody on either side. It's getting worse and worse, congressman, and you're part of the mix.
KING: But you see what you're doing it? You're assigning me a belief system. Those things never came out of my mouth.
CUOMO: We also saw Paul Ryan, once a moral standard who called out Barack Obama for unpresidential rhetoric but never once has told Trump to apologize for any of his ugliness as president. And then he gave a soft stance on one of his own members, Steve King, who was just on, retweeting a neo-Nazi saying, yes, that shouldn't be part of the dialogue. But Maxine Waters, the Democrat, she should apologize, he says in full voice. Why? Well, telling people to protest the administration, we don't need that. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: That's dangerous for our society. It's dangerous for our democracy. She should apologize and there's just no place for that in our public discourse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: I could play you a dozen examples of the president saying things that are so much more inflammatory, and Ryan -- crickets. So, now, Trump is getting what he's been asking for, a fight. Maxine Waters calling for a shame campaign, people harassing administration officials in public, and private. What has Trump done? He exaggerated Waters' intentions, saying that she was calling for harm. She never said that. It's not true. But why did he do it? Because he traffics in the anger that comes from either side. And so, here we are ugly and ugly on both sides. There will be no winning. But there is a battle.
JASON MILLER: If people want to go and criticize people, that's fine. That's your free speech. You have the right to do so. But it's completely different what Maxine Waters was doing, where she was saying create a crowd --
CUOMO: She never told anybody to harm anybody. When the president says she wants to harm --
(CROSSTALK)
MILLER: She said create a crowd and tell them they're not welcome here. Well, then, Chris, what about the wanted poster with Stephen Miller? And the wanted poster, I don't care what the fine print says in two point font down at the bottom. When you're making wanted posters for someone who works in the White House, the very clear message that you're sending is it is a call to action that you want some harm to happen to that person. The fact that Sarah Sanders --
CUOMO: And you know what? And I don't like it. And I don't like whataboutism.
MILLER: I'm glad you say that.
CUOMO: But I've got to tell you something -- Van Jones, when the president of the United States, then a citizen is trying his damnedest to convince people that the president is a Muslim who wasn't born in this country, who some kind of Manchurian candidate, that was pretty damn dangerous too. And you didn't hear Jason Miller or anybody else opposing it.
JONES: Yes. Look, I can't -- I disagree with that. I mean, part of the thing I just want to take a step back here. Why are you seeing people like Maxine Waters and others getting to this level of exasperation?
