‘Don’t Go Personal Here’: CNN Segment Goes Way Off the Rails as Jim Sciutto Clashes With Trump Campaign Spox on President’s Taxes

CNN anchor Jim Sciutto and Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh battled for nearly 10 minutes in an explosive collision ahead of the debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.

In a fiery clash on CNN Newsroom Tuesday, Sciutto and Murtaugh went at it over the bombshell report about the president’s taxes.

The conversation was hostile right out of the gate, as Sciutto tried to get Murtaugh to confirm that Trump paid only $750 in federal taxes in 2016 and 2017. Murtaugh responded with what has been the stock answer throughout Trump’s presidency — that the president is under audit and will release his taxes when the audit is complete.

“I’ll take that as a non-answer,” Scuitto said.

But the tension escalated even further after Murtaugh made a snide reference to the fact that Sciutto previously worked in the State Department during President Barack Obama’s administration.

“That refund that you’re referring to was made possible under a law signed by your former boss, Barack Obama, that allows people to claim losses in previous years and carry them forward,” Murtaugh said.

“Don’t go personal here, Tim Murtaugh,” Sciutto shot back. “Don’t go personal here. I worked as chief of staff for the U.S. ambassador to China.”

“It’s not personal, it’s a fact,” Murtaugh said. “President Obama signed that law.”

Sciutto took one more run at Murtaugh on the $750 issue, and moved on after the Trump campaign spokesperson again dodged the question. From there, the segment devolved into a full-on trainwreck with so much crosstalk that both men were often rendered indecipherable. Sciutto pressed on a variety of different subjects, while Murtaugh evaded and dropped the name Hunter Biden at several points.

Watch this all-over-the-place clash above, via CNN.