CNN’s dumb and dumber duo of Chris “Fredo” Cuomo (PrimeTime) and Don Lemon (CNN Tonight) often brag about how they’re neighbors in the elitist communities on Long Island, New York; so much so that they openly mock violent crime in the city. Yet, on Monday’s handoff between their shows, the two of them lashed out at President Trump for legally paying the least amount in taxes possible, claiming it was elitist, and suggested he was endangering all Americans with his business loans.
“We now know why he wanted to hide the taxes,” Cuomo proclaimed with arrogant confidence. Accidently proving how the media just says whatever they want despite the facts, Lemon added: “We now have proof of what we were saying about him and the taxes.”
Cuomo then got a good laugh out of spreading fake news about how Trump was a “cheat” with his taxes:
LEMON: We all knew. Everybody knows. Come on, Chris. You're from a New York family. You’re a New Yorker. You have been here all your life. You already knew didn’t you?
CUOMO: What does that mean, we all cheat on our taxes? [Laughter]
Meanwhile, back in reality, there’s nothing in the Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Report that suggested any wrongdoing by the President.
Fredo, who went to law school but often proves to viewers that he knows nothing, was magically a financial expert. Suggesting: “$421 million in personally guaranteed loans means one, those guys and women anybody who was the lender didn't see enough value in your assets of the company they were lending against they wanted to catch as much of you as they could. Which doesn't speak well of what they valued your asset at, that the main loan was about.”
“Who does he owe the money to,” he demanded to know. “Who does he owe the money to,” his friend parroted, before going on to claim the President was putting all of us in danger. “Who is he beholden to? How does that compromise him as a president of the United States and our national security, and then us, Americans? Right? Because it certainly compromises us.” This was the theme of Cuomo PrimeTime.
As NewsBusters had previously documented, this was an argument being pushed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). And the alleged facts in the documents also detail who the President took loans from.
Looking over Trump’s alleged liabilities on page 35 of the document showed he had 14 loans to eight different lenders. Such lenders included (as they appeared on the document): Ladder Capital Finance, Deutsche Bank, Investors Savings Bank, Amboy Bank, Chevy Chase Trust Holdings, The Bryn Mawr Trust Company, Chicago Unit Acquisition, and Professional Bank. None of those companies were controlled by foreign or hostile governments, as CNN and Pelosi would like the public to believe.
Citing his mother as one of his “unofficial focus groups,” Lemon then proceeded to lecture Trump about how it was “the height of insulting to the American people. Especially the working-class people who you are supposed to represent” to try to limit his tax burden.
Fredo even played the race card. “Systemic inequality. Happens on the basis of color, happens of the basis of class,” he declared.
Disingenuousness was a hallmark of CNN. Because even their financial advisors work to minimize their tax bills, and that’s a fact because that’s what they’re supposed to do. “[If] I could pay $750 in taxes I’d be jumping up and down running around the corner right now,” Lemon admitted.
We all would Don.
CNN’s lies and disingenuousness was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from loanDepot (oh the irony) and Febreze. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Cuomo PrimeTime
September 28, 2020
10:01:15 p.m. EasternCHRIS CUOMO: So, let me tell you something. We now know why he wanted to hide the taxes, Don Lemon.
DON LEMON: Didn't we know -- we now have proof of what we were saying about him and the taxes. We all knew. Everybody knows. Come on, Chris. You're from a New York family. You’re a New Yorker. You have been here all your life. You already knew didn’t you?
CUOMO: What does that mean, we all cheat on our taxes? [Laughter]
LEMON: No. That means, you have been around long enough to know Donald Trump’s MO, to know about him, to know how he handles business, to know how he stiffs contractors, and so on. To know how litigious he is, that he sues everyone and then waits for them to – We all know that.
CUOMO: $421 million --
LEMON: Yes. Yes.
CUOMO: -- in personally guaranteed loans means one, those guys and women anybody who was the lender didn't see enough value in your assets of the company they were lending against they wanted to catch as much of you as they could. Which doesn't speak well of what they valued your asset at, that the main loan was about. And you got to know who -- some of it’s in public but some of it isn't. Who does he owe the money to?
LEMON: And that's the question. Who does he owe the money to? Who is he beholden to? How does that compromise him as a president of the United States and our national security, and then us, Americans? Right? Because it certainly compromises us.
But I have to tell you -- that's important and we're going to talk about it. But as I talk to everyday folks and, you know, I include my mother as one of my unofficial focus groups.
CUOMO: Kitchen cabinet.
LEMON: Kitchen cabinet. And she said she’s so ticked off because she remembers – at this point she's retired. So, she’s good. She doesn't like having to pay all those taxes, but she pays them. She can afford to pay them now.
But she said, when we were coming along and she was a single mom and after my dad had died, she said she would have to pay her taxes in increments. And if she didn't pay on type, they would be higher. She would get charged for them. And the idea of someone who brags about how rich they are and how great a business person they are to pay no taxes, or to pay $750 in taxes is the height of insulting to the American people. Especially the working-class people who you are supposed to represent.
None of the working class people have the privilege that he has. To pay no taxes. Or pay $750 in taxes. Can you imagine if we – you or I could pay $750 in taxes I’d be jumping up and down running around the corner right now.
CUOMO: Absolutely. You know what it’s called? Systemic inequality. Happens on the basis of color, happens of the basis of class.
And remember, there are all the men and women and families out there right now who are banking on Donald Trump to change the game. He knew the game. He’d exposed the game. He’s made it worse. He took care of people like him in the COVID bill. He took care of people in his tax bill that he said it was middle class, it wasn't.
LEMON: Yup.
CUOMO: It wasn’t. He made the game solidified for people like him.
(…)
