Acosta Shames Netanyahu For Calling Protestors 'Iran's Useful Idiots'

July 25th, 2024 12:02 PM

CNN Newsroom host Jim Acosta tried to shame Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for labeling the protestors that hate his country “Iran’s useful idiots” because, apparently, Acosta doesn’t understand the difference between free speech and being free from criticism. Additionally, it took his Democratic guest to inform viewers that some of the demonstrators took to burning the American flag outside of Union Station in Washington.

Speaking with Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Ben Cardin, Acosta asked, “What is your response to the prime minister referring to protesters who have been demonstrating against the war in Gaza as quote, ‘Iran’s useful idiots’ is that kind of language, the kind of language that a head of state should be using in an address to Congress talking about Americans in that fashion, I mean people have the right to free speech, should he be describing critics of the war as Iran's useful idiots, especially in the middle of the campaign?”

 

 

It is a testament to Acosta’s skill that he was able to fit so much nonsense and hypocrisy into so few words. First, it is the Biden Administration that has said that Iran is funding the protestors. Second, Acosta is deeply offended by “Iran’s useful idiots” despite the media spending the last several years labeling Republicans as Russia’s useful idiots.

Third, Netanyahu is not a head of state, he is the head of government. Fourth, Acosta is desperately trying to paint the protestors as anti-war and not anti-Semites, but all the eliminationism rhetoric and pro-Hamas cosplaying discredit that notion.

 

 

Fifth and finally, Acosta is trying to accuse Netanyahu of interfering in American domestic politics after years of Democrats and their American media allies interfering in Israeli politics, from Netanyahu’s court reforms to whether he should call early elections during the war.

Cardin was Acosta’s second Democrat interview on the topic of Netanyahu’s speech. He earlier spoke with California Rep. Jimmy Gomez who, ironically, was on to hype his demand that Netanyahu resign. It wasn’t until Cardin tried to have it both ways that Acosta’s audience learned that several of the “critics of the war” are not good people:

Yeah, quite frankly, I believe strongly in the right of those who disagree with our views to be able to peacefully protest. They have to respect the rights of others. What we saw yesterday at the train station was irresponsible, horrible, and wrong, and needs it'd be condemned. The burning of the American flag, things like that have no place in a peaceful demonstration. But I think characterizing all protesters as pawns of Iran is just wrong and, but I do recognize that some of these protesters have gone overboard and need to be contained.

 

 

The leader of the Jewish state has the right to be appalled by such violence and rhetoric, and it should not take a wishy-washy Democratic senator to inform CNN’s audience that it happened.

Here is a transcript for the July 25 show:

CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta

7/24/2024

10:26 PM ET

JIM ACOSTA: And what is your response to the prime minister referring to protesters who have been demonstrating against the war in Gaza as quote, “Iran’s useful idiots” is that kind of language, the kind of language that a head of state should be using in an address to Congress talking about Americans in that fashion, I mean people have the right to free speech, should he be describing critics of the war as Iran's useful idiots, especially in the middle of the campaign?

BEN CARDIN: Yeah, quite frankly, I believe strongly in the right of those who disagree with our views to be able to peacefully protest. They have to respect the rights of others. What we saw yesterday at the train station was irresponsible, horrible, and wrong, and needs it'd be condemned. The burning of the American flag, things like that have no place in a peaceful demonstration. But I think characterizing all protesters as pawns of Iran is just wrong and, but I do recognize that some of these protesters have gone overboard and need to be contained.