With CNN personalities continuing to ignore the big media story surrounding the axing of political commentator and interim DNC chair Donna Brazile, two on-air guests took matters into their own hands on Tuesday by mentioning it to the chagrin of the hosts with one resulting in verbal fireworks.
The first instance occurred when Republican Congressman Chris Collins (N.Y.) tried to press New Day co-host Alisyn Camerota on it and she ignored him by pressing about Donald Trump and Russia while the other was by American Conservative Union (ACU) president Matt Schlapp on CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin that caused the mood to ramp up dramatically.
Regarding the latter scenario, Schalpp initially brought it up in passing while debating former Philadelphia Democratic Mayor Michael Nutter as Nutter shouted at him that it essentially doesn’t matter because Brazile’s not on the ballot:
Do you realize that the head of the DNC was just criticized by the CEO of the CNN for the fact that — excuse me, was just criticized by the head of CNN because Donna Brazile, the head of the DNC, leaked two questions to the Clinton campaign to hurt the Bernie Sanders campaign?
A few moments later, Nutter circled back to Brazile by lecturing Schlapp that “[t]he DNC does not run elections all across the United States of America, that's done by local elected officials as I know my other panelists know” while Brazile particularly “is doing a fantastic job at the DNC now and prior to that as a great political strategist TV commentator.”
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Nutter added by spinning that the Clinton camp receiving advance notice about a Flint debate question wasn’t that significant because it’s “not...too much of a surprise if you were in Flint that you might get a question from somebody about the water.”
With this sort of shameless spin, Schlapp started hammering away about why then was she canned at CNN as host Brooke Baldwin and fellow panelist S.E. Cupp sat seeming incredibly uncomfortable:
SCHLAPP: Then why was she fired?
NUTTER: — putting all of that aside cause all of that —
SCHLAPP: Then why was she fired?
NUTTER: Let me finish. All of that — she was not fired.
SCHLAPP: Why was she fired? All of that — she was fired by CNN and they said her activities —
NUTTER: You’re gonna keep saying it three times and I'm going to say three times she resigned on her —
SCHLAPP: It's the truth!
NUTTER: Just listen, Matt.
SCHLAPP: I am.
NUTTER: She resigned on her own. That is the fact so do not spread lies about someone's personal business or how they conducted themselves.
Baldwin eventually interjected at Schlapp’s insistence and stiffly explained that “there was some sort of termination” that was “way higher than my pay grade, Matt — so I really can’t address it, but I can tell her that CNN did not help her out.”
Nutter swiped back at Schlapp that therefore, “that's somebody else's business so why don't you leave that to the side” but the ACU head and Trump supporter wasn’t having it.
“She’s the one who lied when she said she didn't leak the questions. She lied when she leaked the questions to the Hillary campaign,” he exclaimed.
From here, the remainder of the squabble was peak condescension and use of deflection and lecturing from the Clinton playbook as they accosted Schlapp for showing a lack of focus on helping voters decide who to vote for:
NUTTER: She's not running for office, Matt. This is the problem with you guys.
BALDWIN: How is this helping America figure out who they should vote for? Matt, I love you but come on.
SCLAPP: Because, Brooke, you know how it helps?
NUTTER: Stay focused.
“The fact is this why don't we talk about the issues and why isn’t it fair and why don't we cover these things fairly? We started the segment by talking about running Hillary Clinton's ad. Donald Trump has many ads about Hillary Clinton's character and it's fair to look at both,” Schlapp responded.
The relevant portions of the transcript from CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin on November 1 can be found below.
CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin
November 1, 2016
2:11 p.m. Eastern
MATT SCHLAPP: Do you realize that the head of the DNC was just criticized by the CEO of the CNN for the fact that —
MICHAEL NUTTER: Um, Hillary Clinton is running.
SCHLAPP: — excuse me, was just criticized by the head of CNN because Donna Brazile, the head of the DNC, leaked two questions to the Clinton campaign to hurt the Bernie Sanders campaign? There are divisions on both sides, we have these divisions.
(....)
NUTTER: The DNC does not run elections all across the United States of America, that's done by local elected officials as I know my other panelists know. Secondly, with regard to Donna Brazile, Donna Brazile is doing a fantastic job at the DNC now and prior to that as a great political strategist —
SCHLAPP: Hillary agrees with you —
NUTTER: — and TV commentator. So, you know, we can talk about questions and who got what question. You know, I think it might not have been too much of a surprise if you were in Flint that you might get a question from somebody about the water, but —
SCHLAPP: Then why was she fired?
NUTTER: — putting all of that aside cause all of that —
SCHLAPP: Then why was she fired?
NUTTER: Let me finish. All of that — she was not fired.
SCHLAPP: Why was she fired? All of that — she was fired by CNN and they said her activities —
NUTTER: You’re gonna keep saying it three times and I'm going to say three times she resigned on her —
SCHLAPP: It's the truth!
NUTTER: Just listen, Matt.
SCHLAPP: I am.
NUTTER: She resigned on her own. That is the fact so do not spread lies about someone's personal business or how they conducted themselves.
SCHLAPP: Hey, Brooke, can you help me out here? I'm not lying. I'm not lying.
BROOKE BALDWIN: There was —
NUTTER: She resigned.
SCHLAPP: I'm not lying.
BALDWIN: — there was some sort of termination. I wasn't, obviously, that's way higher than my pay grade, Matt —
NUTTER: Hey, exactly.
BALDWIN: — so I really can’t address it, but I can tell her that CNN did not help her out.
NUTTER: So that's somebody else's business so why don't you leave that to the side.
SCHLAPP: I’m not lying.
NUTTER: She resigned.
SCHLAPP: She’s the one who lied when she said she didn't leak the questions. She lied when she leaked the questions to the Hillary campaign.
NUTTER: She's not running for office, Matt. This is the problem with you guys.
BALDWIN: How is this helping America figure out who they should vote for? Matt, I love you but come on.
SCLAPP: Because, Brooke, you know how it helps?
NUTTER: Stay focused.
SCHALPP: The fact is this why don't we talk about the issues and why isn’t it fair and why don't we cover these things fairly? We started the segment by talking about running Hillary Clinton's ad. Donald Trump has many ads about Hillary Clinton's character and it's fair to look at both.
