CNN is only the “facts first” network when those “facts” don’t disrupt their liberal narrative. The network proved that yet again on last night’s CNN Tonight when host Don Lemon shot down a Trump campaign adviser after he accused the media of reporting negatively about ICE agents.
The panel consisting of political analyst Amanda Carpenter, Lemon and former Trump campaign adviser Steve Cortes, was reacting to an earlier ceremony at the White House where President Trump honored ICE agents. At one point Trump teased an agent whom he was giving an award to “not be nervous” because he “spoke perfect English” to approach the podium. This offhanded comment apparently was awful enough to earn an entire segment on Don Lemon’s show last night.
Carpenter began by slamming the pithy joke as “drive-by casual racism.” Cortes dismissed Lemon and Carpenter’s outrage saying they were inferring way too much from the comment and instead called out the media as hypocrites for suddenly caring about ICE agents, when they’ve cast them as the villains in every report leading up to this.
“[Y]ou see racism there because you want see racism. You come up with the conclusion first that he's a racist, and now you'll search for evidence...He was making a joke to put the man at ease because he didn’t know he would be coming to the podium,” Cortes explained.
“Steve. I mean come on, you know that's not true!” Lemon denied the media sought out ways to portray Trump as racist.
After some more back-and-forth, Cortes pointed out that the media tries to portray these agents as racists when many of them themselves are Hispanic as well.
“That is not true. Come on, Steve!” Lemon shook his head. “You said the mainstream media vilify border patrol. That is just simply not true,” he said adamantly.
Cortes pointed out that former CIA and NSA Director Michael Hayden, who is on CNN frequently, tweeted out a picture comparing Nazis to ICE agents. Lemon dismissed this point because he didn’t know “the context.” But then he went on to claim that Hayden was talking about ICE “separating families,” therefore admitting he had seen the tweet.
Lemon then argued Hayden was just “one person” and not representative of the entire media.
“I have not seen the mainstream media writ large do what you said. You just made that up,” he slammed his guest.
Cortes pushed back, calling out the CNN host for calling Trump a racist “almost every night” on his show before being cut off again by Lemon, who proceeded to defend his race-baiting reporting, and insult Cortes as having “Trump derangement blinders on:”
"Well, would you like me to go through the evidence about his racism that you seem -- you can't see because you have these Trump blinders on, because you have Trump derangement blinders on? You can't see?" Lemon ranted.
He then listed examples of supposed “racism” Trump engaged in before going back to his point that the media wasn’t biased.
“[Y]ou have no evidence to back up that the mainstream media is somehow vilifying border patrol agents and people who work on the border. That is simply not true,” he gushed again.
“It's something you would hear on the Trump News Network, not on this network. I haven't heard it on any other network,” Lemon again bashed his guest.
As Cortes attempted to provide said evidence, Lemon cut him off:
LEMON: Let's not, please. Because we were supposed to be talking about [ICE agent] Adrian by the way.
CORTES: But you told me that I don't have evidence. I'm about to give you evidence.
LEMON: Because you don't have evidence. OK. Listen. I have got to go. We'll be right back.
