For five hours Thursday, a man with a history of mental health issues caused the Capitol and surrounding buildings to be put on lockdown after he claimed to have a bomb. The man had live-streamed his standoff and lunched into unhinged rants about a whole host of topics. But during that night’s Prime Time, CNN host Chris “Fredo” Cuomo declared that the man’s ramblings were “familiar and obnoxious” and tried to assert that he was using the “Fox [News] talking points.”
“We’re still learning about him. But he live-streamed his standoff outside the Library of Congress. That got him attention. He was ranting in a way that you will find familiar and obnoxious,” Cuomo sneered. “That President Biden's policies on healthcare, immigration, and the Afghanistan withdrawal were unacceptable.”
After playing some edited soundbites of the man’s stream, Cuomo paraphrased one part where the man allegedly said something about “illegal immigrants from Afghanistan.” “A lot of that are fringe right-wing and Fox talking points,” Cuomo proclaimed. “Nobody's talking about having some massive influx of Afghan people coming here. It's about getting them out. Getting them somewhere safe.”
But what Fredo was saying about Fox News wasn’t true.
This is a phenomenon that happens at CNN where they can’t understand that Fox allows for their employees to have different opinions that weren’t dictated to them by their corporate bosses, whereas CNN boss Jeff Zucker was in charge of steering the company’s groupthink.
In contrast, some Fox hosts and personalities have voiced concerns about bringing untold numbers of Afghans to the country while we also try to rescue the thousands of trapped Americans. However, it’s arguable that there have been more people from the network speaking out in favor of giving our allies a home here in the states where they’re safe.
For instance, Fox News contributor and part-time host of Fox News Prime Time, Ben Domenech had blasted those against bringing in Afghans:
The suggestion that Afghans who worked with American forces shouldn't be evacuated because they're all secretly terrorists is so deeply racist and stupid I can't even fathom someone would say it.
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) August 19, 2021
And on Wednesday’s edition of his show, Sean Hannity argued that America made promises to our allies that we would keep them safe and they would be allowed to make a life for themselves in America. “We end this show with this. Please, for the people in Afghanistan: Our thoughts, our prayers, our love, our support are with you,” he added.
Hannity was back at it again on Thursday, as Fredo was smearing Fox, with contributor Sara Carter emotionally noting:
.@SaraCarterDC: "[Afghans] are people who are brave, who stood by the sides of our soldiers, many of them who believe in liberty & freedom. They believe in liberty & freedom more than even some Americans believe in liberty & freedom b/c they know what it's like to not have it." pic.twitter.com/LORk3HUQwG
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) August 20, 2021
That’s not to mention the fact that at least eight Republican governors have offered to take in Afghans fleeing the Taliban.
But the facts didn’t stop disgraced and fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe from telling Cuomo there was going to be more people like the bomb scare suspect (click “expand”):
I think, also, the DHS terrorism threat bulletin that DHS put out only six days ago, which calls out all the terrorism issues that they’re most concerned about specifically talked about people just like this guy.
Violent extremists motivated by personal grievance. People who’ve consumed conspiracy theories on -- in certain online forums and places on the internet are motivated to take matters into their own hands and strike out violently. That's what you saw today.
With as deeply divided as we are right now and with as many conspiracy theories and false -- false theories that we have rolling around out there, I think you are going to see more of it.
Meanwhile, Fox was doing the real journalism and found the suspect had a history of mental issues. And according to their report, the suspect’s mother recently passed away and he had a recent change in medication.
Chris Cuomo’s lies and smears about Fox News were made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Coventry Direct and Whole Foods Market. 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 Prime Time
August 19, 2021
9:42:47 p.m. EasternCHRIS CUOMO: It took five hours for police to arrest a 49-year-old man who threatened to set off this bomb, allegedly, near the U.S. Capitol. We’re still learning about him. But he live-streamed his standoff outside the Library of Congress. That got him attention. He was ranting in a way that you will find familiar and obnoxious. That President Biden's policies on healthcare, immigration, and the Afghanistan withdrawal were unacceptable. Listen.
[Cuts to video]
FLOYD RAY ROSEBERRY: I’m just warning you, Biden. Don't pull the trigger on this truck because I'm not responsible for it. [Transition] It's my land. It's your land. We're the people. Taking a stand, though. You got all them people dying in Afghanistan, all them kids being raped. Just let Taliban run right through.
[Cuts back to live]
CUOMO: Now, a lot of that, especially about Afghanistan, and he went on about how you are letting all these -- um -- these illegal immigrants from Afghanistan. A lot of that are fringe right-wing and Fox talking points. Nobody's talking about having some massive influx of Afghan people coming here. It's about getting them out. Getting them somewhere safe.
Now, he didn't have an actual explosive. Police say he did possess possible bomb-making materials in the truck.
So, are we going to be seeing more of this? Is this one of the potential areas of fallout from what's happening in Afghanistan? Deputy director of the FBI, former, Andrew McCabe, joins us now. It's good to see you. What's your assessment of this guy straight up?
ANDREW MCCABE: Well, Chris, I think the thing that surprises me most about him is that we haven't seen more people like him doing things like this, particularly here in the capital and -- and up on the Capitol grounds. I think, also, the DHS terrorism threat bulletin that DHS put out only six days ago, which calls out all the terrorism issues that they’re most concerned about specifically talked about people just like this guy.
Violent extremists motivated by personal grievance. People who’ve consumed conspiracy theories on -- in certain online forums and places on the internet are motivated to take matters into their own hands and strike out violently. That's what you saw today.
With as deeply divided as we are right now and with as many conspiracy theories and false -- false theories that we have rolling around out there, I think you are going to see more of it.
(…)
