CNN’s Elie Honig Stuns Colleagues by Defending Trump’s DC Crime Crackdown — and Dismissing January 6 Argument

CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig stunned his fellow panelists on Wednesday night by defending President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C.

As Scott Jennings and Julie Roginsky exchanged arguments and insults, NewsNight host Abby Phillip cut in to give Honig the floor.

“So, I’ve worked extensively with police, and I don’t have a problem, tactically, with what Donald Trump is doing here. He doesn’t have to be the most dangerous place on Earth. Something can be improving, but still really bad. If your house is on fire, and then a third of the fire goes out, it’s less bad, but it could still be an emergency. I work in D.C., it is dangerous there, you cannot deny that,” began the former federal prosecutor. “And a common police tactic is to surge resources. I’ve been part-, we call them task forces. They’re applauded across the board, across the political board. I’ve done it in New Jersey, I’ve done it New York. You take the FBI, you team them up with the Newark PD, what have you, you make a visible presence. Now, is some of it for appearance and show? Yes, because what it does is A, it assures people, it gives people a bit of confidence and security, and B, it deters people from committing crime. So it’s not going to hurt, and this is a situation that needs to be improved. I don’t see why there’s a-, and I also reject the January 6 argument. Look, I’ve been a 100% unambiguous critic of everything Donald Trump did on January 6. I believe he should have been charged criminally. I believe the pardons were a disgrace. But why does that mean he can’t do anything now to enforce the law to promote public safety?”

“Sure, he’s a hypocrite! Fine, he’s a hypocrite!” added Honig after Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) objected. “Would you rather have national security out in D.C., where you work, or not?”

Watch above via CNN.