In an appearance on Thursday’s CNN Newsroom, Republican Congressman Brandon Gill (TX) ran circles around host Pamela Brown and the network’s purported fact-checkers. At one point, Gill called out how taxpayers had been wasting money by paying for “left-wing activism” at NPR and PBS, to which Brown tried to defend it as just “journalism.” She also repeatedly warned him that CNN’s fact-checkers were ready to pounce, but Gill stayed many steps ahead of them.
When Brown tried to pin Gill on the possibility that some or all of the 7,030 federal employees in his district would be fired, Gill stated: “You know, my constituents are more focused than ever on our federal debt and our federal deficit, which is a result of Biden-level spending. They want to rightsize the federal government, and they want to get rid of left-wing activism.”
The example he gave of the left-wing activism he was talking about were the liberal media outlets of NPR and PBS. Which got a snide defensive remark from Brown:
GILL: We're spending, for example, over $500 million every single year to fund state sponsored media like NPR and PBS to promote left wing values that are utterly antithetical to the American experience. That is a problem. That is what my constituents are focused on.
BROWN: It's journalism.
For a more detailed breakdown of Five Reasons to Defund ‘Public’ Broadcasting, click here for the study.
Throughout the interview, Brown repeatedly told Gill that CNN’s so-called fact-checkers were working in the background trying to catch him on something. “So, I do want to note that we're also doing a fact check on what you said. My producer is doing that right now,” she warned Gill after he noted: “We've been spending millions of taxpayer dollars on transgender activism in South America.”
“And you're welcome to fact check anything I have to say. I invite you to do that,” he confidently told her. “In fact, I think that given the record of fact checkers over the past four years, I don't think many people are going to put a whole lot of stock in it. But you're welcome to do so.”
Brown shot back by announcing they’ll “be sure to look at the source.” “I'm not saying you're right or wrong, I'm just saying I have a duty on this show to make sure that any, any information that goes out is, is fact checked,” she proclaimed.
But as CNN fact-checker Fuzz Hogan admitted under oath in a defamation trial against CNN, they don’t check facts. CNN was found liable for malicious defamation against Navy veteran Zachary Young.
After a few minutes of them going back and forth, Brown eventually came back to admit “they have done gender activism in South Africa.” But she tried to qualify it by arguing that, “It's not possible, though, to verify the millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars being spent.” She also chose to speak for USAID by saying, “USAID would say it's not doing left-wing activism. It's helping vulnerable populations.”
“We spent $2 million on LGBT and transgender activism in Guatemala,” Gill shot back.
Later in the segment, Brown threw her standards for checking facts out the window when she falsely claimed Gill said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) “should be deported to her home country of Somalia.” He corrected the record by noting he said: “America would be better off were she deported.” He went on to explain that he said that because “Omar was advising illegal aliens, Somalis, on how to evade ICE detection.”
Brown demanded to know his source for that information. “What evidence?! Where are you getting that from specifically,” she ordered him. Gill obliged by pointing out that Omar said it in an interview and that there was audio of it.
Despite being obviously oblivious to what Omar had said – or else she wouldn’t have asked Gill for his source – Brown suddenly somehow divined Omar’s intent. “She is helping people understand what the laws are,” she insisted, without evidence.
So much for having the “duty on this show to make sure that any, any information that goes out is, is fact checked.”
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
CNN Newsroom
February 6, 2025
11:13:08 a.m. Eastern(…)
REP. BRANDON GILL (R-TX): Well, first of all, Democrats had the opportunity to invite Elon Musk to the committee that's on them. If they want to ask him questions, they are welcome to do that.
But what I'd like to know, if we want to talk about transparency, how do we not know until now that taxpayer dollars have been going – We've been spending millions of taxpayer dollars on transgender activism in South America. There is an enormous amount of waste in our federal government, and we're uncovering new, just egregious ways that the federal government has been spending our taxpayer dollars. We're uncovering new ways every single day. That's where the lack of transparency is.
And we finally have an executive branch and president Trump, who is serious about going after this waste. And that's exactly what the American people elected President Trump to do. That's exactly what they elected House Republicans to do. And that's what we're doing.
PAMELA BROWN: And I just want to note, Gerry Connolly, your colleague on the committee on the other side of the aisle, he has invited Elon Musk to come. He has said, please come testify to this committee. We haven't heard from anything. We haven't seen any disclosures from him, despite a federal law requiring conflict of interest disclosures.
So, I do want to note that we're also doing a fact check on what you said. My producer is doing that right now.
But I want to ask you something, because I know some viewers might be watching this right now, Congressman, and saying, ‘Well, hold on a second. So, you're all on board with what Elon Musk and his team of staffers are doing. Would you be okay if Democrats were doing this?’ If, for example, George Soros came in under a Democratic administration and had his staffers gain access to sensitive programs about Americans and their personal information and dismantling agencies, would you be okay with that?
GILL: It's amazing that Democrats are acting as if this is something that's novel. I've been talking to my constituents for months and months and months about Elon Musk coming in, having a serious business person coming in and using his team to go through the federal budget with a fine-tooth comb. There is nothing that's surprising about what's happening right now. And again, if my colleagues want to invite him, they could have done that yesterday.
And you're welcome to fact check anything I have to say. I invite you to do that. In fact, I think that given the record of fact checkers over the past four years, I don't think many people are going to put a whole lot of stock in it. But you're welcome to do so.
BROWN: Well, we'll be sure to look at the source. I'm not saying you're right or wrong, I'm just saying I have a duty on this show to make sure that any, any information that goes out is, is fact checked. That's just a personal that's what I have to do. But fair enough.
So I just want to go back though. Would you be okay? Because it is unprecedented what Elon Musk is doing? I know you say it's not a surprise, but it is. I mean, we have not seen the world's richest man come in and go agency to agency with his staffers. You know, they're all unelected and have access to these sensitive programs. Would you be okay if Democrats did this? If a George Soros came in with his staffers and did the same thing that Elon Musk is doing, would you accept that?
GILL: Well, what's unprecedented is spending our taxpayer dollars on left-wing partisan political projects all over the globe. That's what the American people are focused on. This is a result of this election. This is a result of President Trump getting a very clear mandate from the American people to get rid of this kind of nonsense from our federal government, and we're doing it more efficiently than we've ever been done, than it's ever been done before.
And again, the fury that we're seeing from the other side of the aisle isn't about this waste. It's not about paying for left-wing activism on the other side of the globe. It's that it's being exposed finally. And that's what the American people want.
BROWN: It certainly want more transparency about everything, right? About how taxpayer dollars are being spent and about what is happening within their federal government. I do want to note that that they have done gender activism in South Africa through gender based violence and promote women's empowerment. It's not possible, though, to verify the millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars being spent, but USAID would say it's not doing left-wing activism. It's helping vulnerable populations. I take your point, though. Look, a lot of Americans want the money--
GILL: To spent $2 million on LGBT and transgender activism in Guatemala.
BROWN: And look, and there's a big question with putting Donald Trump in office and what he has campaigned on, whether, you know, where that money should be going. And that is fair to discuss. That is fair to discuss. Go ahead.
GILL: And if Democrats want to defend that, then they are absolutely welcome. If they want to go to the American people and tell the American people that they think that it's appropriate to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on radical transgender activism in foreign countries, and they are absolutely welcome to defend that.
BROWN: I want to follow up with you. You said you were hearing from your constituents. There are more than 7,000 federal workers in your district who are likely impacted by these orders to either accept a buyout or be fired. They have until midnight to make a decision. What are you hearing from them?
GILL: You know, my constituents are more focused than ever on our federal debt and our federal deficit, which is a result of Biden-level spending. They want to rightsize the federal government, and they want to get rid of left-wing activism. We're spending, for example, over $500 million every single year to fund state sponsored media like NPR and PBS to promote left wing values that are utterly antithetical to the American experience. That is a problem. That is what my constituents are focused on.
BROWN: It's journalism.
But, you know, we can agree to disagree on that. I don't want to get into a for tat on that, Congressman.
I just want to follow up with this post that you had on X. You said that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a U.S. citizen, should be deported to her home country of Somalia. Omar became a naturalized citizen at 17. Why did you do that?
GILL: Well listen, my colleague Ilhan Omar, she is an American citizen. She is a member of the House of Representatives. I didn't call for her to be deported, but I did say that America would be better off were she deported.
I think that there is a serious problem, particularly given after the past four years of open borders of Democrats facilitating the invasion of our country by illegal aliens. My colleague Ilhan Omar was advising illegal aliens, Somalis, on how to evade ICE detection. That is as un-American as you can possibly get. It's unbecoming of a congressperson.
BROWN (interrupting): What evidence?! Where are you getting that from specifically? Where are you getting that from, specifically?
GILL: We have the audio of her doing that. It was in an interview.
BROWN: She is a duly – she is a duly elected member of Congress. Her constituents put her in office.
GILL: She has a duty to uphold the values and customs of America, not to represent foreign illegal aliens who shouldn't be here to begin with. And I think that that raises serious questions.
BROWN: She is helping people understand what the laws are. But listen –
GILL: That raises serious – to whom is she most loyal, illegal alien Somalis or American citizens? I think that’s a very -
BROWN: Well her constituents. Well, she’s representing her constituents and a member of Congress.
GILL: -legitimate question.
BROWN: Congressman Brandon Gale [sic], I really appreciate your time. I appreciate this conversation. I think it's really important.
GILL: So do I.
BROWN: I and I think our viewers appreciate it as well. Thank you so much, Congressman, and look forward to having you back on the show soon.
GILL: Thanks for having me.
