CNN Panelist Loses It At Defense of Trump Calling Network’s Reporting ‘Illegal’: ‘This Is Insanity!’
A CNN panel erupted on Friday during a debate on President Donald Trump accusing the network and other outlets of “totally illegal” reporting on him.
On CNN’s NewsNight with Abby Phillip, Republican strategist and radio host Melik Abdul pushed back on some of the backlash against the president’s comments, arguing it’s nothing “new” for Trump. He said the president engaged in “rhetorical flourishes” and he may have included some “minor embellishments,” but his overall points were about a “weaponized” Department of Justice and media.
During a Friday speech at the Department of Justice, Trump blasted CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, and others.
“The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and MSDNC, and the fake news, CNN and ABC, CBS and NBC, they’ll write whatever they say,” he said. “And what do you do to get rid of it? You convict Trump.”
He added, “It’s totally illegal what they do. I just hope you can all watch for it, but it’s totally illegal.”
Seneca Project founder Tara Setmayer tore into Abdul’s defense of the “insanity” Trump was spewing.
“Could you imagine, would you sit here I wouldn’t say it was just a typical stump speech if Barack Obama or President Biden or President Clinton ever said the things that Donald Trump just said in the Department of Justice. There’s no way!” she told Abdul.
“It wouldn’t be a typical speech for them,” Abdul said.
“It’s not typical!” Setmayer said.
Setmayer was floored by the president’s comments and couldn’t believe there needed to be a conversation about what he meant.
“Are we really having this conversation? That we’re saying that what Donald Trump just said as the president of the United States standing there in the Department of Justice, saying that freedom of speech and the freedom of the press and all that is illegal? This is insanity!” she said.
Check out the exchange below:
TARA SETMAYER: Like, are we really having this conversation? That we’re saying that what Donald Trump just said as the president of the United States standing there in the Department of Justice, saying that freedom of speech and the freedom of the press and all that is illegal? This is insanity! This is the president of the United States where we have a bill of rights, where there’s the freedom of the press, where our founding fathers wanted to make sure that you had the freedom to be able to report without the government coming down on you, in fear of being prosecuted for that. This is 2025. This is not 1789 when you had the Alien and Sedition Acts and all of that that were used against people who were critical of the government. Are we going back there? Could you imagine — would you sit here I wouldn’t say it was just a typical stump speech if Barack Obama or President Biden or President Clinton ever said the things that Donald Trump just said that in the Department of Justice? There’s no way!
ABDUL: It wouldn’t be a typical speech.
SETMAYER: It’s not typical! It’s insane for a president to say that! You’re talking about a king.
ABDUL: But if you talk about it — and we shouldn’t ignore the point that Donald Trump was making about the weaponization of the Justice Department.
SETMAYER: Are you serious? Come on. Kash Patel, Pam Bondi.
ABDUL: I’m serious because I’m saying it, because many of us saw during the Biden administration, a number of things that happened. Think of the Herr report. Many people saw the Her report and they said, well, Biden was just well -meaning. Think of the Russia collusion narrative.
SETMAYER: Which there was.
ABDUL: The fact that many people were going around, many people were going around saying that Donald Trump colluded with Russia to steal the election. It simply wasn’t true. 51 intelligence officers signed onto a letter saying that.
Watch above via CNN.
