Cuomo and Rick Santorum Have Heated Clash Over ‘CPR’ Remarks: ‘That’s Also BS!’
CNN’s Chris Cuomo invited former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum on New Day to address his controversial comments that the survivors of the Parkland, Florida shooting should take CPR classes instead of protesting gun violence.
“The fact of the matter is I did misspeak in using the term CPR,” Santorum said of his remark. “I think Sanjay Gupta’s job here at CNN is probably safe as being the medical commentator on things.”
After discussing his proposals for resolving gun violence — including stopping bullying — Cuomo pushed back by arguing those are “a distraction from the single metric that distinguishes the United States of America from all other countries when it comes to gun violence: We have more guns.”
“Access to weapons matters,” Cuomo added. “It seems like you and others on your side of the fence are going after the kids who are survivors in the interest of political expediency.”
The two sparred over whether guns were the main variable in shooting violence, Cuomo asserted, “Guns matter, access to the weapons matters.”
“And we can have a policy debate on this,” Santorum said.
“We actually can’t because we are distracted by all of these efforts of attacking the kids, saying they didn’t go to the school, likening them to Nazis, making fun of young women, lying about what they do,” Cuomo fired back. “That’s what people on your side of the fence are doing.”
“I condemn that too,” Santorum said. “There’s politics and hypocrisy on both sides of the debate.”
Later, Cuomo pressed Santorum on his comments that gun control advocates spread misinformation about firearms in America.
“That’s also BS!” Cuomo cried.
At the interview, Santorum blew up at Cuomo after the CNN host suggested he sounded “like Trump after Charlottesville” for condemning the rhetoric on “both sides” of the debate — given the conspiracy theories currently being spread about the Parkland students.
“Don’t do the Charlottesville thing on me Chris!” Santorum said.
Watch two parts of the contentious sparring match above, via CNN.
[image via screengrab]
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