CNN Goes Bonkers Over Bannon
Were Cuomo and Harlow Acting as CNN Hosts or DNC Reps?
Remember when, at the beginning of his administration, President Obama made Valerie Jarrett his closest advisor, and how CNN went on the attack because of her far-left roots? Neither do I.
But now that President-elect Trump has named Steve Bannon as a senior advisor, CNN is in full inquisition mode. Chris Cuomo and Poppy Harlow, co-hosts on today’s New Day, cross-examined Trump spox and former Sen. Tom Coburn, respectively. References to the alt-right, anti-Semitism, etc. flew as the CNNers combatively questioned their guests.
Note: Miller and Coburn had a similar response to their inquisitors, explaining that it is Trump who will set the agenda, that he has been conciliatory, and that he will take good advice and reject the bad. Miller did take a specific shot at CNN, saying that the network, in particular, has been focusing on divisive issues since the election.
Note Segundo: Miller is one of many Jewish people in the Trump transition, but the irony of Cuomo’s kvetching about anti-Semitism in the Trump administration was lost on the CNN host.
CHRIS CUOMO: His chief strategist is a story. His name is Steve Bannon. He is a promoter of the alt-right. He is now a main person in the White House.
. . .
PHIL MATTINGLY: One of his hires assuaging some of the concerns, particularly among Republicans about how Donald Trump will deal with Republicans on Capitol Hill. The other, raising alarm bells, in both parties. The polar opposite. A man who has operated in the Republican fringe as executive chairman of Breitbart.com, one with a known talent for riling up the grassroots, while maintaining close ties to the alt-right movement, within which anti-Semitism and racist tropes are pervasive.
. . .
CUOMO: You are who you have around you, and the Jekyll and Hyde thing is of your own creation, not ours. I mean, Bannon reached out to Marian [sic: Marine] Le Pen, you know, I mean, her grandfather [sic: father] founded the National Front political party. He was an anti-Semite. He was quoted as saying the races are unequal. Bannon reaches out to someone like that to work with the administration?
. . .
CUOMO: Steve Bannon is not an ordinary placement in the White House. He is a promoter of the alt-right and a very controversial guy. How does that square with Trump being different than he was in the campaign?
JASON MILLER: Well Chris, if you’ve seen the President-elect since the election, he’s taken a very measured tone, he’s made it very clear that he’s going to get to work for the American people right away, and that he’s moved past the election. And what I think is frustrating is when you see so much news coverage—particularly on this network, unfortunately—on the issues that divide us following the election. I think that’s irresponsible, to be quite frank with you.
. . .
CUOMO: But the challenge is to unite: Steve Bannon is not a statement of unity. This is a man who’s wife [in divorce papers] said he did not want his girls in a school because they had too many Jews there. Breitbart is what it is. Ted Cruz, who you worked for, used to point to it as a poison affecting his own party. How is that a nod towards unity?
. . .
MILLER: Chris, again, I think that your focus on trying to divide the people is —
CUOMO: Not fair, Jason! Not fair! You put Bannon in position, not me. I don’t put out the headlines on Breitbart: he does. He is seen as the architect of a very effective strategy, which Donald Trump used during the election, which you guys now say needs to be left behind. But you’re bringing the architect of it with you. That’s not on me!
. . .
POPPY BARLOW: The president has said that he will be a unifier and bring all of America together. But Steve Bannon is someone who is not that. He is someone that has led Breitbart, which is not just another news site. This is a media site that has perpetuated the alt-right, which even if you don’t accept it, it does exist. It has had headlines that are anti-Semitic, that have had racist headlines. He is someone whose ex-wife said in court papers that he said that he does not like Jewish people. Do you have any concerns about him being in the president’s inner circle, at all?
TOM COBURN: No. I think that Donald Trump can filter any of that out if in fact that exists, or whether that’s done —
HARLOW: It does exist! These are facts!
. . .
COBURN: And I don’t think that the association with some former website diminishes President-elect Trump’s ability to make good decisions for the country and accomplish what he wants to accomplish.
HARLOW: Before we move on, it’s not some former website, it is a website that has been very much part of this, what has been a divisive election in America. And Steve Bannon, up until just before, when he joined the campaign, was the one leading it in all those headlines.
COBURN: I’d just tell you listeners that are concerned about that: get over it and trust Donald Trump to make good decisions, and he will take advice that’s good and he’ll reject advice that’s bad.
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Comments
I’m no fan of Bannon but I don’t think he is as evil as the progressives and the media (same thing) are painting him.
It will be interesting to see how long Bannon stays as consigliere.
I hate Bannon with a passion, but I don’t think he is as evil as the progressives and the media (same thing) are painting him. They are simply pulling accusations out of thin air. What he’s actually done is bad enough; they don’t have to exaggerate it. I hate having to defend him, but in the face of these attacks honesty demands it.
Just more MSM hypocrisy…
Obama himself intentionally causes and ramps up divisiveness.
Whatever.
Obama who?
CNN itself incites division — usually in the same breath in which it accuses conservatives.
Heck, the theme this week has been: Trump terrifies all the people he’s going to round up for the death camps!! It’s up to him to allay their justified fears! And to stop the unsubstantiated stories we’re hyping about hate crimes and suicides!!!
When CNN starts acting like a legitimate news service, Charles Manson will have reformed and earned parole. I expect neither to happen in my lifetime.
I keep hearing the left make these accusations that Trump and his people are anti Semites.
But isn’t it true that he has a couple of Jewish kids-in-law?
What’s up with that? Are his boys marrying self-hating Jews, or what?
His son in-law that most credit with his campaign successes, Jared Kushner, is Jewish. Although he may not be as orthodox as his previous generation, there is no evidence that he is anti- Jewish. Certainly he is pro-Israel unlike many hard left of his faith.
This is just politics. But Bannon has certainly provided ammunition from his past.
It seems to me that the ‘alt right’ behavior that many people are so offended by is really similar to race-oriented behavior that blacks and Hispanics have been allowed for decades.
Why are blacks and Hispanics allowed preferential treatment at the expense of whites? Why can they have a “Congressional Black Caucus” and not get shouted down for racism? Why can a Latino organization call itself “The Race” without being called out for racism?
There’s a good article over at The Federalist theorizing that our society has had a “unspoken contract” with respect to racial relations, and that whites have tolerated these racist activities / viewpoints by minority groups so long as they don’t throw whites under the bus for no reason. But Obama and his Social Justice Warrior minions have broken that contract, and the result is the alt-right.
Treat someone like they’re deplorable long enough and eventually they’ll act accordingly.
The “alt-right” is comprised of individuals (i.e. diversity) who are recognizable by their different colors, shapes, sizes, sexes, and names. The class diversitist effort to disenfranchise people based on their race, sex, etc. is intolerable.
It’s a German shepherd whistle… More commonly known as a “dog whistle” by people who are not Pro-Choice or class diversitists.
His daughter is Jewish. 2 of his sons are married to Jews. He has Jewish business partners and employees. It is absurd that he is an antisemite. Enough already. It’s just losers using whatever they can make up to try to hurt him. It’s time to ignore the morons.
Ivanka converted to Judaism, so his own daughter is Jewish. So are his grandkids.
Further, the 1st call he made to a foreign leader upon defeating the witch was Netanyahu.. The two have quite the bromance lol.
So, they are just flat out lying about anti semitism being any part of his life.
If I were to be elected to lead a country in dangerous times, my first call would be to Netanyahu also. First for advice and secondly to see what salary range he would be thinking to come over as an advisor.
What we’re seeing is rioting in the streets by the MSM. Cuomo et al are the MSM rioters with bats, clubs, and Molotov cocktails.
“Trump Appointment Draws Widespread Criticism” says the headline and then, in order to make the headline true, they criticize him.
Classically trained professional journalists with the highest ethical standards. Journalism 101…
You turn to the “journalist” next to you and say, “Trump is a racist”. Then you write a story and in that story you write, “Some say Trump is a racist”. That statement is 100% true. It is true because you are the “some” in the “some say”. The truth value of the statement has nothing to do with Trump, what Trump says, what Trump thinks or what Trump does.
What on earth did they expect? The President Elect Donald Trump would now toe the line, loading his administration with DC insiders and those “approved” of by the MSM? SERIOUSLY? REALLY?
Did all of DC expect to stay there forever?
You get a new broom the trash on the floor goes out the door . . .
Not a fan of all Bannon’s position, but yes, let’s not worry about what the talking heads on CNN are saying. If its driving them nuts, good. Time to stop being cowardly in the face of the media. That pre-emptive surrender some Republicans have taken is what drove Trump’s popularity to begin with.
The anti-semitism accusation of a Trump administration seems just ridiculous. Professor Jacobson has done a phenomenal job of cataloging everything from the anti-BDS movement to leftist anti-Semitism on campus. Its a left issue, not a right issue, and by a wide margin, in my opinion.
To imagine the Trump family and their history in NYC and who they do business with, etc., to be anti-Semitic seems preposterous on the face of it to me. Maybe I’m missing it, but this seems like a confirmation-bias propaganda effort all around by the MSM.
One of the things I love about legalinsurrection is the way it goes deep on overlooked topics, like Self-Defense, Zimmerman case, BDS, etc, without being a single issue blog. I wouldn’t have nearly the depth of the issue of the progressive left were it not for the Professor, and I find myself correcting my leftist friends (yes, I have some still in this day and age) constantly on the misinformation they spout – thanks to the Professor.
The defense of Trump can go wide and deep on this issue while making the progressive left look like the loony bin of intolerance that it is.
Keep up the great work, LI!
I’ve been pretty happy with the people Trump has named so far. One thing I am keeping in mind is this: Pretty much everyone, including myself, has underestimated him so far. At this point, I don’t trust myself, much less NRO, George Will, CNN and the media at large, to question his judgment about appointments. So far he has done so much better than everyone else, I’m going to settle for enjoying the ride and not whining over this appointment or that.
I’ve posted elsewhere, and perhaps here as well, but it bears repeating. When the GOP wins elections, they are expected – demanded, even – to reach across the aisle and make the Dems and their flunkies feel better. When the Dems win, they have a mandate to do whatever they please. It is time to change this paradigm, and Trump is just the guy to do it.
One can only hope at this point…however, his choice of Reince Priebus as his Chief of Staff signals that the GOPe is firmly in control of the Presidency, regardless. Change? I just don’t see it happening with Priebus controlling access, he’s a McConnell/Ryan acolyte and a ‘bomb-defuser’, not someone I think of when wanting to drain a swamp.
It is interesting that you think that Trump has become a tool of the establishment just days after winning on an anti-establishment platform.
I rather think that some (hopefully many or most) of the establishment has become a tool of Trump. The GOPe has been an embarrassment because they lacked spine and lacked leadership with spine. Now they have it. Let us see what happens.
Democrats lost the election but now they want a “win” to show their supporters they are going to be a true opposition party. They want a scalp.
CNN is just carrying their water.
Good luck with that.
This isn’t even an appointment that requires Senate confirmation.
This isn’t about scalps. It’s about maintaining the fiction that Donald Trump, of all people, is a radical social conservative who is coming to kill the gays and send women back to the kitchen or something.
Now, AFTER the election, T-rump FINALLY pivots…
No ‘really great wall’.
No likely Clinton prosecution.
No likely mass deportations…if ANY besides criminals.
DonaldDoggle remains a Federal, top-down imposed “health insurance” plan.
Etc., and more etc.
Dupes.
I guess the down-thumbers didn’t see the “60 Minutes” interview, or read about it today.
Or they can’t handle the truth.
Pitiful…
The downvotes are because some of us saw more than just the cherry picking.
Or, no one believes your hysterics.
Trump will be the most effective conservative president in 50 years.
C’mon, Barry, there’s only been one conservative president in the last 50 years, lol.
50 years excluded Ike. And yes, there has been only one conservative since. And Trump will trump him on conservative achievement.
The bonus is watching the lefty heads exploding. Double bonus is watching the faux conservative heads exploding.
Well, I hope you’re right, but per his record, 4-8 years seems like an awful long time for Trump to hold the same positions, or even the same party. He might drift.
Please please please make Milo Press Secretary. I only want to see the MSM’s heads roll.
Oh my gosh, that would be awesome!!!!
Not just CNN, but the rest of the now completely irrelevant dinosaur media is going bonkers about Bannon. Little do they suspect, they’ll be going bonkers each and every day for the next four years, and neither Trump nor any of us give a tinker’s damn about them going bonkers.
Well, not quite NOT giving a damn, because all of their impotent bonkering has given me quite a few fits of laughter, and I fully expect the laughs to keep on coming!
[BTW, if they’re heads are exploding over Bannon, just think what a mess those heads will make when Myron Ebell is appointed head of EPA.]
Under Steve Bannon, Breitbart’s circulation grew to be greater than both the Washington Post and the New York Times. This, I think, is his big sin.
As for the business of racism and such, that was a strategic choice adopted by Hillary and Bill Clinton, and co-ordinated with at least the New York Times, in an effort to discredit what they knew would be a formidable candidate.
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/59194
Shame on them all.
The Donald is way ahead of Rags. He makes extreme statements as bargaining points. Makes what he finally gets look tame.
The threat of deportations looks to me like a way of getting non-citizens off the voting rolls.
Obamacare is dead. I don’t know what will replace it, but I suspect it will be Medicaid plus medical savings plus some sort of single payer catastrophic coverage. I don’t think anyone, including Trump can predict the details.
The Hillary investigation has been going on a long time. The serious part of it is about the Foundation. It may turn into an IRS investigation.
I will take endless amusement and dark delight in watching people like you rationalize the broken promises I’ve predicted…
until even you can’t rationalize them any more.
FFS, Rags!
He doesn’t take office until January.
First F#ck Syndrome, Val…???
Really?
Yeah, he’s not in office yet, and he’s punking all those people at all those rallies where he PROMISED various things.
You’re really pathetic.
Same old pattern, Rag – attack people with ad hom, then pretend outrage at when they punch back.
Tough s**t, CNN. Deal with it. Like we dealt with ValJar.
White House Chief Strategist appears to be a made-up title. Bing shows me a ton of hits in the last week, and *nothing* more than two weeks old ever including that phrase.
This sounds like he’s appointed Bannon to a made-up, at-will, no-power advisory position in the White House. While appointing Rince Priebus to White House Chief of Staff. While he’s trying to bring the various wings of the GOP together to support him.
Assuming Bannon is as awful as CNN appears to think (which is unlikely), this looks like a *good* sign to me. They should be pleased.
I can’t for the life of me remember Jarret’s official title.
So, she much have been without influence over Barracula, right?
That’s because ‘Puppeteer’ doesn’t sound very good on TV.
Ok, I’ll admit that was a little harsh, even if it was deserved. Still, it is amazing the number of multi-billion dollar failures over the last ten years that have ‘Jarret’ stamped somewhere in the rubble.
Sure. He might be the most important and influential advisor in the White House without a big title.
But this CNN story is about how the new made-up title proves that Bannon’s the new Jarret.
That’s what I’m rolling my eyes at.
The the Leftwing Media does NOT go batsh!t crazy over Trump’s cabinet, THEN there is reason to worry . . .
Why all the angst and anger? Haven’t we just learned with 100% clarity that it doesn’t matter what the CNNs and MSNBCs say anymore, that they merely preach to the members of their ever-dwindling choir? They’ve been critically, fatally undercut by their own rampant and overt bias. What they’ve been saying and continue to say is killing them. By all means – let them continue with it.
Um, the source is correct and your “sics” are wrong. Bannon reached out to Marion Le Pen, not to Marine. Marion is Jean-Marie’s granddaughter, and Marine’s niece.
Here Cuomo goes completely off the rails. Jean-Marie was and is indeed an antisemite. What of it? Did Bannon ever reach out to him? How can Cuomo expect to get away with tarring the granddaughter with her grandfather’s sins?
Um, the source is correct and your “sics” are wrong. Bannon reached out to Marion Le Pen, not to Marine. Marion is Jean-Marie’s granddaughter, and Marine’s niece.
Here Cuomo goes completely off the rails. Jean-Marie was and is indeed an antisemite. What of it? Did Bannon ever reach out to him? How can Cuomo expect to get away with tarring the granddaughter with her grandfather’s sins?
But they won’t have any problem with a Black Muslim as head of the DNC will they.