Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett (R) joined CNN Primetime host Kailtan Collins on Thursday for a discussion that included a tense back and forth about whether CNN is creating “doubt in the mind of the public” by attacking Judge Aileen Cannon in the case of former President Trump’s second indictment with an exasperated Burchett telling Collins “I mean, come on, you're CNN, we know that, it’s just the game we all play.”
While lamenting that networks like CNN are attempting to try the case on air, Burchett also condemned the network for having “already started attacking the judge.”
Elaborating, Burchett claimed, “you’ve already started attacking the judge prior to this… if she'd have been a Biden appointee, you'd have been okay with it. So, I mean, you obviously, throwing doubt into the whole judicial system anyway.”
Collins pushed back, “I didn't attack the judge.” Burchett challenged her by pointing to segments earlier in the show and accusing her of throwing “doubt upon her by saying she was a Trump appointee. Why would you say that unless you had doubt about her and you’re creating the doubt in the mind of the public.”
Trying to defend herself, Collins argued:
The reason that she's drawn scrutiny, with all due respect, Congressman, is because of her rulings from last fall, rulings that I should note were overturned by an appeals court because they said she was simply wrong. She was giving preferential treatment to Trump because he's a former president and not treating him like he's any other person like they would if it was you or me.
The early reports in question did show Collins questioning whether the 42-year old Cannon has enough experience to try the case as well as Elliot Williams patronizingly congratulating Cannon for not fumbling “one of the more basic rulings” when she ordered Trump’s lawyers to seek security clearances.
As for Burchett, he wasn’t buying it, “She has a right to adjudicate as she sees fit. And she obviously is going to do that, and that will of course draw all y’all's ire if they don't throw Trump in jail for 20 years, obviously and you’ll bring up the fact that she’s a Trump appointee.”
Collins complained “that’s not fair” and what she and others are doing is simply reporting “on what simply she has been doing, how she has ruled, looking, you know, at what trials she's overseen when she's about to oversee one of the biggest criminal trials in this country's history is not attacking her. It's just simply looking at her record. It's not an attack. It's just reporting on it.”
Burchett still wasn’t convinced, “Ma’am, do you all ever—do you all point-- do you all make a note of whether it was an Obama appointee, was it a Carter appointee, was it a Bush appointee, which Bush it was –”
While Collins insisted that they do so “all the time,” but the media didn’t raise questions about the judge in the New York case having a daughter that worked for President Biden’s campaign and they certainly don’t treat Democratic-appointed judges and justices the same way they treat Republican appointees.
All this might be why a more agitated Burchett firmly declared, “No, you don’t. You absolutely do not, ma’am. You do not. Well, why don't you talk about her law school, why don't you talk about her credentials or is it just the fact that she’s a conservative female?”
After Collins reported that Cannon went to Michigan, Burchett shot back, “Well, this is the first I've heard about that from you all. … you immediately say she's a Trump appointee and so you create doubt, ma'am. I mean, come on, you're CNN, we know that, it’s just the game we all play.”
Collins concluded by repeating the allegation that Burchett was engaged in “an unfair attack” and that “I think that's an unfair attack. We're just noting, simply her credentials, who appointed her. It is notable that she is a Trump appointee. Trump's own legal team in his orbit would say that. They're thrilled that she is going to be the judge overseeing this case.”
Despite Collins’s claims to the contrary, Burchett is correct. By attacking the judge by bringing up rulings they don’t like, who appointed her, and her age, they are setting her up as a potential target for condemnation should Trump not be convicted.
This segment was sponsored by Citi.
Here is a transcript for the June 16 show:
CNN Primetime
6/15/2023
9:49 PM ET
KAITLAN COLLINS: But, how is that related to mishandling national security secrets?
TIM BURCHETT: I don't know that he did, ma'am. That's why there's this -- that's why-- we're obviously going to have a trial and that's why he was indicted. But, as you well know, you can indict -- as many lawyers have told me, you can indict a ham sandwich, but you'd still have-- we'd still have a system of judge and jury in this country. And it’s-- it won't be decided by the board room at CNN. It'll be decided in a court of law and--
COLLINS: True, he's innocent until –
BURCHETT: -- they've already started attacking the judge – they’ve already started attacking the judge that—proven guilty.
COLLINS: He’s innocent until proven guilty.
BURCHETT: But, you’ve already started attacking the judge prior to this—you attacked the judge because he's a Trump—she’s a Trump appointee, but if she'd have been a Biden appointee, you'd have been okay with it. So, I mean, you obviously, throwing doubt –
COLLINS: I didn't attack the judge.
BURCHETT: -- Into the whole judicial system anyway.
COLLINS: I don’t think-- I don't think pointing out that—
BURCHETT: Well, in your prior-- in your prior report, ma'am, you threw doubt upon her by saying she was a Trump appointee. Why would you say that unless you had doubt about her and you’re creating the doubt in the mind of the public. Why didn’t you just say, why didn’t you say where she went—
COLLINS: I have no doubt about her, but what I noted is she that is-- she is a Trump appointee, and the reason that she's drawn scrutiny, with all due respect, Congressman, is because of her rulings from last fall, rulings that I should note--
BURCHETT: Well.
COLLINS: --were overturned by an appeals court because they said she was simply wrong. She was giving preferential treatment to Trump because he's a former president and not treating him like he's any other person like they would if it was you or me.
BURCHETT: I can assure you, ma'am, if she was a Biden appointee and she was overturned by a higher court that was a Trump appointee you all would be pointing that out as well, but she is a member of the judiciary and the system is a system of checks and balances. And she has a right to adjudicate as she sees fit. And she obviously is going to do that, and that will of course draw all y’all's ire if they don't throw Trump in jail for 20 years, obviously and you’ll bring up the fact that she’s a Trump appointee, ma’am—
COLLINS: That's not-- Congressman, that's not fair. Just to report on what simply she has been doing, how she has ruled, looking, you know, at what trials she's overseen when she's about to oversee one of the biggest criminal trials in this country's history is not attacking her. It's just simply looking at her record. It's not an attack. It's just reporting on it.
BURCHETT: Ma’am, do you all ever—do you all point-- do you all make a note of whether it was an Obama appointee, was it a Carter appointee, was it a Bush appointee, which Bush it was –
COLLINS: Absolutely. We talk about who judges were appointed by all the time.
BURCHETT: No, you don’t. You absolutely do not, ma’am. You do not. Well, why don't you talk about her law school, why don't you talk about her credentials or is it just the fact that she’s a conservative female?
COLLINS: She went to Michigan. I've looked at her credentials.
BURCHETT: Well, this is the first I've heard about that from you all. Then why don't you talk about things like that? Why don't you talk about she's a hardworking person, put herself through school. No, you immediately say she's a Trump appointee and so you create doubt, ma'am. I mean, come on, you're CNN, we know that, it’s just the game we all play.
COLLINS: I think that's an unfair attack. We're just noting, simply her credentials, who appointed her. It is notable that she is a Trump appointee. Trump's own legal team in his orbit would say that. They're thrilled that she is going to be the judge overseeing this case. But we'll have to leave it there, Congressman Tim Burchett, thanks for your time tonight.
