CNN’s Jim Acosta Stunned By ‘Mental Gymnastics’ GOP Is Doing to Label Biden a ‘Felon’ After Trump Conviction

CNN’s Jim Acosta couldn’t believe what he heard Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) say on Fox News about President Joe Biden’s status as a “felon” — maybe because Biden is not a felon.

While filling in for CNN’s Laura Coates on Tuesday, Acosta played a clip from Fox News that ran earlier in the night in which Graham stated: “I think the felon in this election is Joe Biden. What he’s doing to the country is criminal.” Acosta turned to analysts Chuck Rocha (representing the Democratic perspective) and Shermichael Singleton (representing the Republican perspective) to try to wrap his head around Graham’s reasoning:

Acosta: “The felon in this election is Joe Biden.”

Rocha: The polls are coming back now. Polls that have had time to —

Acosta: Am I up too late? It’s late right now. So I’m just — is it the sleep deprivation?

Singleton: It’s only 11:14.

Acosta: It’s only 11:14. It’s milk and cookies time for me. But I’m just — What?! Really?!

Rocha explained that the polls taken since former President Donald Trump’s felony conviction for falsifying business records are starting to show an effect on voters, so now Trump’s surrogates and supporters are trying to “do all of this jujitsu” to distract people. Acosta said, “That’s some Bruce Lee, Enter the Dragon stuff.”

As Singleton attempted to explain the weird strategy of calling Biden a felon, Acosta still wasn’t buying it:

Singleton: I still think that there are several issues that President Biden is still struggling on. He’s still struggling to shore up his base. Now, granted, we’re five months ahead —

Acosta: But Shermichael —

Singleton: He has an opportunity to do that. I think the party needs to continue to make the case, Jim, about why the American people aren’t satisfied after the past four years.

Acosta: But to have Lindsey Graham say “Joe Biden is the felon. I think the felon in this election is Biden.” That is — I — that is —

Singleton: Well, Jim, look, if you’re asking me as a strategist, if that is what I would advise the message to be?

Acosta: I’m like in a Seinfeld Bizarro World.

Singleton: I can assure you that would not be the message that I would advise it.

Acosta summed up the unprecedented situation that is the 2024 presidential election: “I don’t know if we’ve fully absorbed, or the public has fully absorbed, our body politic, our system has fully absorbed: one of the candidates is a convicted felon and is just going to be one.”

Watch the video above via CNN.