Chris Cuomo, the liberal co-host of CNN's New Day, got into a hostile debate with Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, on Wednesday regarding whether President Donald Trump should have called former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey “a nut job.”
The discussion started when Cuomo asked “a question about the president and his tactics. According to the New York Times, he said to Russian authorities" that Comey is "a nut job. I fired him, and now the pressure is off me from that Russian investigation.'”
“Boy, oh boy!” the co-host stated before bringing Barack Obama into the discussion. If the former president “had ever said that, Matt Schlapp’s beard would hop off his face and run down the street.”
“How do you justify that kind of behavior from a president of the United States?” Cuomo asked.
“Well, first of all,” Schlapp noted, “I think Obama did take some heat when his exchange was overheard, and we all got to hear him telling [then-Russian President Dmitry] Medeved that he would have more flexibility after the election, and we all understood what those words meant.”
At that point, Cuomo tried to downplay the Obama incident by asking: “Do you think that sizes up to James Comey, the head of the FBI? Forget about Obama. Forget about him. He’s gone. He’s in the history books, my friend.”
“What did Trump mean,” he continued, and “can you back, support him saying that about Comey to Russian officials?”
“Well, maybe you didn’t see the article that I wrote about Jim Comey," the conservative guest replied. “I think it was perfectly appropriate of [Trump] to fire Jim Comey.”
“I had [former U.S. Attorney General] Alberto Gonzales on my radio show,” Schlapp noted, “and he basically said that it was a perfectly reasonable thing to have done."
“Those of us who have dealt with Jim Comey over the years … felt like Jim Comey lurched around in a political situation,” he continued.
“You’re not addressing the question," Cuomo stated in an angrier tone.
“Yes, I am," Schlapp stated before noting:
Don’t you think that [Obama’s miscue] was inappropriate? What I strongly think is this: There are conversations that [only] happen in a diplomatic setting.
President Obama was overheard, and to this day, I don’t know what he meant when he said: “I’ll have flexibility.” I think what he meant was he was saying one thing publicly, and he would be able to do something else differently after the election.
“I think what President Trump was trying to do is tell the Russians that there is nothing to this ‘collusion,’” the guest stated. “I think they all know there’s nothing to this collusion.”
“You think he needed to tell the Russians there’s nothing to this collusion?” Cuomo asked sarcastically. “That you think they know exactly what happened, and why they would be the perpetrator.”
“They’re having an honest conversation about how silly it is,” Schlapp responded.
“It’s good to know that you believe the president and the Russians are on the same page,” the co-host said more angrily.
“Do you think the Russians needed the help from anyone in the Trump campaign to do any of their hacking that they do in our society?” Schlapp asked.
“I don’t know what happened,” Cuomo stated, “and I’m going to have to wait for the outcome of the investigation.”
“But we’re all in that position,” the guest noted.
“No, you’re not,” Cuomo snarled. “You’re trying to spin it every chance you get and have become a ‘righty attack machine.’”
“Chris, I come on your show, and I try to answer your questions,” the conservative guest asserted. “You asked me a tough question, and I’m trying to give you an answer.”
“You answered it by saying ‘but Obama dot dot dot.’” the co-host replied.
“Well, it’s true: ‘Obama dot dot dot,'” Schlapp responded.
“Yeah, but it isn’t because it wasn’t a response to my question,” Cuomo asserted.
“How does a president in a diplomatic situation, why does he say words that seem strange?” the guest then asked. “And what I’m saying is: Why did Obama and other presidents … ?”
“That’s not a response,” Cuomo snarled.
“No wonder the American people get tired of all of this,” the guest responded wearily.
“I’m thinking you’re part of that reason right now, my friend,” Cuomo shot back.
“Whatever,” Schlapp concluded while shaking his head.
At least for this edition of the program, the discussion was really “fair and balanced.” We can only be grateful that Cuomo wasn’t slammed as being a “nut job" himself.
