‘I’m Not Welcome at CNN!’ ‘You’re on CNN Right Now, Brother!’ Matt Schlapp, Chris Cuomo Throw Down in Wild Segment
The Conservative Political Action Conference kicked off on Friday in Dallas, and the chairman of the organization behind it joined Chris Cuomo on CNN that evening.
Matt Schlapp duked it out with Cuomo for a solid 12 minutes in a contentious interview. The chairman of the American Conservative Union alleged that mail-in ballot signatures were not verified by officials in Georgia and in Clark County, Nevada. That claim has been debunked in both instances. Schlapp said the alleged lack of voter signature verification suggests that election fraud occurred. Cuomo didn’t concede Schlapp’s claim, but pointed out that even if it were true, it would not indicate fraud.
This exchange was typical of the entire segment:
CUOMO: To say there was fraud doesn’t mean – even if you are right, ok, on your own assertion – you didn’t check all the boxes of what you were supposed to do. I’m not saying you’re right and no court has said you are right. And all of the suggestions that you would prove this over time have never been met. But even if that’s the case, that’s not fraud. And it doesn’t mean that the election was stolen. And yet, you have people at CPAC chanting, “Trump won. The election was rigged.”
Do you really believe that? That Trump won?
SCHLAPP: I believe that what we should do in America is follow the rules on voting. And what the secretary of state did in the state of Georgia and he’s a Republican – not my kind of Republican – but he signed an illegal consent decree to not check and verify the signatures of people who voted by the mail as you know because of the coronavirus. We had historic levels of mailed-in voting.
CUOMO: But you don’t know that there was fraud.
SCHLAPP: Yes, I do. Because now, you are using the word fraud–
CUOMO: No, you’re using the word fraud. And CPAC is using the word fraud. Not me. I’m using the word you’re using.
SCHLAPP: Let me use the words. I’m speaking. I’m speaking. Why don’t you let me use words?
Cuomo even asked at one point, “Why are you making CPAC about the big lie and not all the other things you could argue?”
Later in the interview Schlapp complained to Cuomo that conservatives have been “canceled” and said live on CNN that he’s not welcome on CNN anymore:
SCHLAPP: We feel canceled because we constantly are. Now, you’ve broken the model because you’ve had me on CNN. People like me don’t get on CNN anymore.
CUOMO: Matt, you’re always welcome here to make the case because I want to understand.
SCHLAPP: No, that’s not true. It’s not true. I’m not welcome at CNN and you know that.
CUOMO: Where are you right now? What do you think CNN is? The Cuomo News Network? You’re on CNN right now, brother.
Watch above via CNN.
