‘This Is Not Fox!’ CNN Anchor Slams Rival Network In Fracas With Trump Defender — Who Hits Back

CNN anchor Jim Acosta slammed Fox News during an intense segment with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) on President Donald Trump’s pardons of January 6 convicts who assaulted police — and Burchett fired back with a shot at CNN.

Trump’s pardons and commutations for the January 6 defendants on his first day in office, including those who committed violence against police, drew widespread and bipartisan condemnation — and awkward, at times, cringe-worthy deflection from many GOP officials.

On Wednesday’s edition of CNN Newsroom With Jim Acosta, Burchett joked “It’s good to be on here for my weekly beating from you all at CNN” — and seconds later, a pitched metaphorical brawl ensued as Acosta pushed Burchett to denounce the pardons of violent offenders.

Later in the segment, Burchett accused CNN of not covering unrest during the Black Lives Matter protests and falsely claimed that “nobody went to jail for that.”

That’s when Acosta told Burchett that “this is not Fox” and Burchett responded with a crack about CNN’s ratings:

JIM ACOSTA: Is President Trump responsible? Is he responsible if some of these offenders re-offend? What happens if one of the Oath Keepers or the Proud Boys goes out there and hurt somebody?

Isn’t– and they were involved on January 6th and were put in prison and Donald Trump released them. Isn’t he then responsible for that? Isn’t he responsible if somebody gets hurt?

REP. TIM BURCHETT: I would say if they are Trump appointed judges, they will go to jail. But if they’re Joe Biden appointed judges or Soros-backed DAs, they’ll probably walk as they do in New York and the rest of the country, which we saw during the Black Lives Matters marches, we saw on the riots all across the country.

Those people walked. Nobody went to jail for that. Millions upon millions of dollars of property was damages. You all didn’t raise a finger, didn’t say one word about it.

JIM ACOSTA: Congressman, that’s just not true!

REP. TIM BURCHETT: You showed it, it’s all in order. You showed a riot? We had riots where things towns were burning down and they were allowed to do it.

(CROSSTALK)

JIM ACOSTA: I was at the White House covering the first Trump administration when they had rioting outside of the White House. I mean, that was covered on CNN. What you’re saying this is this is not Fox. Congressman, you can’t just spin a tale and pull the wool over people’s eyes. This is CNN, this is the news.

REP. TIM BURCHETT: And that’s why–

JIM ACOSTA: We are asking you to come on and tell the truth.

REP. TIM BURCHETT: And that’s why more people are watching the Cartoon Network SpongeBob reruns right now Jim.

Look, I left the White House during a riot. My life was threatened. My life has been threatened within the last few weeks. Yet there’s no coverage of that. And you all continue this this narrative of attacking Trump. You just can’t stand the fact that he won and that America spoke–

JIM ACOSTA: Congressman, no, that;s not the case at all–

REP. TIM BURCHETT: Your view is very diminished–

JIM ACOSTA: I asked you to come on to ask you about these pardons because they are highly controversial and they could result in people getting hurt. And I think that’s a sincere question to ask–.

REP. TIM BURCHETT: If they break the law then they go to jail, if–.

JIM ACOSTA: They went to jail and then the president let them out of jail and all I’m asking–

REP. TIM BURCHETT: That’s the key–

JIM ACOSTA: –Is for you to say that if you feel it’s wrong, say it’s wrong.

REP. TIM BURCHETT: That’s the key. They did go to jail. And under these Soros backed DAs all across the country, these people are walking for for much more heinous crimes.

Watch above via CNN Newsroom With Jim Acosta.