CNN’s Brianna Keilar Gets Dragged on Twitter for Objecting to Marines At Biden Speech – Including By White House
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CNN anchor Brianna Keilar faced a blizzard of backlash for a tweet complaining about Marine guards positioned behind President Joe Biden during his speech — including from Biden’s White House.
On Thursday night, the president delivered a speech entitled “The Continued Battle for the Soul of the Nation” that was largely a rebuke of former President Donald Trump and those who support the insurrection that culminated in the attack on the Capitol on January 6.
But during the speech, Keilar objected to the optics of the Marines standing behind Biden at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.
“Whatever you think of this speech the military is supposed to be apolitical. Positioning Marines in uniform behind President Biden for a political speech flies in the face of that. It’s wrong when Democrats do it. It’s wrong when Republicans do it,” Keilar wrote.
Whatever you think of this speech the military is supposed to be apolitical. Positioning Marines in uniform behind President Biden for a political speech flies in the face of that. It’s wrong when Democrats do it. It’s wrong when Republicans do it.
— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) September 2, 2022
White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates, a sharp-elbowed presence on Twitter, was among the political, media, and other figures who pushed back on Keilar’s complaint on the basis that the speech was “not political.”
Bates used ostensibly non-opinion CNN stories on the “GOP threats to democracy” as evidence:
Except it’s not political. In the same way CNN isn’t political but has made the same warnings.
“Jake Tapper breaks down GOP threats to democracy” https://t.co/2EEGwR173D
“An Arizona Trump rally and voting rights march underscore the fight for democracy” https://t.co/pX3vxDlvUh https://t.co/NrBtZqxXL6
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) September 2, 2022
And White House Deputy Press Secretary Chris Meagher wrote that “Democracy is not a partisan or political issue.”
Democracy is not a partisan or political issue. https://t.co/EgBfFoVl2s
— Chris Meagher (@chrismeagher46) September 2, 2022
White House Director of Digital Strategy Rob Flaherty pushed back on a similar criticism from Steve Portnoy:
i meanhttps://t.co/ItSrycEVEQ pic.twitter.com/a60yFRsMkH
— Rob Flaherty (@RFlaherty46) September 2, 2022
Others responded along similar lines, as well as pointing to what they posed were more egregious examples of Trump using military members in such a fashion, while some saw the influence of new CNN chief Chris Licht:
This photo is from a speech in which Trump accused Democratic members of congress of hating the country, but sure thing. https://t.co/fKIwp5GLgq pic.twitter.com/ZYTXxIgOCc
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) September 2, 2022
Traditions broken… https://t.co/ETVFi316QB pic.twitter.com/CZOio5Zcii
— Robert A George (@RobGeorge) September 2, 2022
https://t.co/9eH1RHgGDZ pic.twitter.com/xg4TWr6AMm
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) September 2, 2022
Brianna is hoping Chris Licht reads this tweet and gives her the 9 PM https://t.co/9eH1RHgGDZ pic.twitter.com/v95TDT13U5
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) September 2, 2022
What Marines behind Biden? They’re not even in the frame. So it’s their generic presence in the general area that is generating such vapors? https://t.co/xHdqz2ePex pic.twitter.com/tPxPv10rxY
— Markos Moulitsas (@markos) September 2, 2022
when you are defending democracy in the face of anti-american fascism, you can use marines https://t.co/HcaaCFoXyF
— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) September 2, 2022
I am a veteran and I consider President Biden’s speech to be patriotic. Republicans declared war against us on Janurary 6th, and they continue to attack what America stands for. They defend a criminal who stolen classified documents, they act like America’s enemy. https://t.co/WxjK8G5Unv
— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) September 2, 2022
Oh, Brianna. Identifying a threat to our democracy and calling for republicans, independents and democrats to unite against an ideology of violence and anti democracy is not a political speech. He condemned the ideology that led to what you see here. That is not politics. pic.twitter.com/bCOGxcvzgS
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) September 2, 2022
You gotta be kidding me. This kind of rhetoric is just another example of a CNN commentator carrying the new banner forward to keep their job. https://t.co/g80Z7zuQ9a
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) September 2, 2022
JOE BIDEN: Our democracy is under attack from anti-democratic authoritarians trying to take away your rights.
CNN, after taking a ballpeen hammer to the head: Let’s focus all our attention on whether or not this was a political speech. You know, to be “less partisan.” https://t.co/pX1chPjKv7
— Matt Ortega (@MattOrtega) September 2, 2022
The new CNN is trying super hard to be “fair and balanced” and Brianna doesn’t want the axe 😂 https://t.co/wE5VJPGpNU
— Jenna Ellis 🍊🦅 (@JennaEllisEsq) September 2, 2022
More evidence of what I was reporting on earlier this week @realDailyWire. New CNN bosses have told the on-air staff it’s time to stop acting like Democrat party operatives. https://t.co/jHvjXdNitA https://t.co/BqPg7zj5j6
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) September 2, 2022
There were some who agreed with Keilar:
Hilarious all the libs Brianna gained over the last five years are losing their minds at het take and any attempt to moderate under the new CNN. https://t.co/AioP6t67q6
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 2, 2022
Brianna Keilar is quite concerned about CNN’s terrible ratings.
She just gave Republicans a whiplash with her first Biden criticism. https://t.co/Cu0GRSDOGb
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) September 2, 2022
100% correct. https://t.co/CParh4HU8F
— Paul Rieckhoff🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@PaulRieckhoff) September 2, 2022
@brikeilarcnn is 100% right here. https://t.co/DUntYXn559
— Allison Jaslow 🇺🇸 (@jaslow) September 2, 2022
Correct https://t.co/yhCOmAK7in
— Larry O’Connor (@LarryOConnor) September 2, 2022
The backlash was severe enough that Keilar mentioned it on Friday morning’s edition of CNN’s New Day, and doubled down while interviewing a military veteran with similar qualms.
