In clips that went viral on social media, Congressman Tim Burchett (R-TN) threw down Wednesday morning with CNN’s dead man walking Jim Acosta over January 6 and President Trump’s commutations and pardons for all those charged in the January 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol. Near the end of the squabble, Burchett ripped CNN as being crushed in the ratings by the likes of Cartoon Network and Spongebob Squarepants reruns.
The high point came at the end when Acosta first grossly conjured up some fear porn that those released from prison are going to commit violent crimes. Burchett clapped back that, as part of the probe, he had constituents whom the FBI visited “and harassed them” in a “political thing from the start” even though “[i]t was a bad day in America.”
Acosta came back by accusing Republicans of refusing to truly “back the blue” while Burchett said Trump is “no more” responsible for any future actions of those pardoned “than Joe Biden should take personal responsibility for the 14 million people — for Laken Riley losing her life because he didn’t have enough guts to enforce the law and back Americans.”
As Acosta continued screaming, Burchett added he and his profession “spent four years making excuses for a fellow with Alzheimer’s in the — in the lead office in this country and defending him and putting him office” and “made excuses for him for four years.”
After Burchett accused Acosta and the liberal media of ducking the damage done and lack of prosecutions against Black Lives Matter thugs, Acosta insisted CNN had covered it since he was CNN’s White House correspondent.
Fake News Jim leveled what he thought was the kill shot, but was actually a comical indictment of his vapid mind:
I was at the White House covering the first Trump administration when they had rioting outside of the White House. I mean, that was covered on CNN. What you’re saying — this is not Fox, Congressman. You can’t just spin a tale and pull the wool over people’s eyes. This is CNN. This is the news. We are asking you to come on and tell the truth.
Without hesitation, Burchett unloaded:
And that's why more people are watching the Cartoon Network, SpongeBob reruns right now, Jim. Look, I left the White House during a riot. My life was threatened. My life has been threatened within the last few weeks, yet there's no coverage of that and you all continue this — this narrative of trash — attacking Trump. You just can't stand the fact that he won and that America spoke and that your view is very diminished. Your view is very diminished.
Acosta claimed “that’s not the case at all,” concluding he was “asked...to come to” discuss “pardons because they are highly controversial and they could result in people getting hurt and I think that's a sincere question to ask.”
Earlier in the back-and-forth, Acosta didn’t take too kindly to Burchett noting the January 6 probe was “political” and accused him of peddling Democrat talking points (click “expand”):
ACOSTA: Congressman, you were there that day. There — there are offenders on January 6th who violently beat police officers. There are offenders who are convicted of seditious conspiracy. That is the truth.
BURCHETT: This is a political world, Jim, and I don’t remember you all on CNN condemning Joe Biden for commuting the sentences of murders and child molesters, which he did. And you all refused —
ACOSTA: — Congressman, I’m not asking you about that.
BURCHETT: — you refused —
ACOSTA: — Congressman, we talked about Joe Biden’s pardons —
BURCHETT: — well, you never do. You never do, Jim. You never do.
ACOSTA: Congressman, we did talk about it. We talked about Joe Biden’s party.
BURCHETT: Oh, Jim, you did not. You all read your —
ACOSTA: I am asking you —
BURCHETT: — report from the Democrat National Committee, as you always do —
ACOSTA: — that is — that is —
BURCHETT: — and you attack Americans.
ACOSTA: That is absolutely false.
BURCHETT: No.
Burchett had another eyebrow-raising response to Acosta’s assertion that Republicans have “let down the blue” by supporting January 6 pardons (click “expand”):
BURCHETT: Jim, why don’t you just give an editorial and not let me come on? Look, what happened to the last four years with police — what happened with all the riots that took place all across the country, police officers were murdered, courthouses were burned, over 22 police cars were burned. Yet no one went to jail for that. Where is the — where is your crocodile tears for that?
ACOSTA: You’re —
BURCHETT: No, you’re not.
ACOSTA: — you’re engaging in a game —
BURCHETT: You’re not addressing the facts.
ACOSTA: — you’re engaging a game —
BURCHETT: No.
ACOSTA: — in a game of whataboutism.
BURCHETT: Well, what about you all do —
ACOSTA: People were obviously prosecuted after those rights.
BURCHETT: — at CNN every day?
ACOSTA: What?
BURCHETT: Every day —
ACOSTA: What are you talking about —
BURCHETT: — all you’ve done is —
ACOSTA: — what we’re doing at CNN? We didn’t storm the Capitol.
To see the relevant CNN transcript from January 22, click here.
