CNN’s Jake Tapper came out firing in defense of colleague Jim Acosta one day after a crowd of Trump supporters in Florida heckled him with “CNN sucks”.
The host of “The Lead” spearheaded a discussion Wednesday about the trajectory of American culture, which he claims is spiraling “down the drain” with President Trump’s blessing.
Mr. Tapper said that the commander in chief is encouraging “mobs” to act out via constant “attaboy” approval.
“President Trump himself has made clear that he thinks that kind of behavior is great,” the reporter said. “His son Eric approvingly retweeted that clip of the crowd heckling CNN, and the president retweeted it to his more than 53 million followers. The erosion of basic standards of civility and human decency continues. It’s not just a Republican phenomenon, but we are being led down the drain by President Trump. To Trump supporters out there: Imagine liberals shouting down a reporter from an outlet that they didn’t like — and a Democratic president giving that mob an ’attaboy.’ Would that be acceptable?”
Mr. Tapper’s words drew approval from CNN contributors Symone Sanders, a former national press secretary for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, and Jen Psaki, a former White House communications director under President Barack Obama.
“I think we’re going into dangerous territory here,” said Ms. Sanders. “There is absolutely a difference between freedom of speech and someone heckling, threatening and putting someone’s life in danger.”
Added Ms. Psaki: “This is the type of behavior that happens in authoritarian societies, where leaders and their supporters are pushing down the media, pushing down people who are protesting.”
Ms. Sanders did not explain why heckling a reporter with “CNN sucks” falls outside the realm of free speech or poses a threat to life.
Trump, WH seem to endorse crowds heckling journalists https://t.co/Raz9vkflhW @SymoneDSanders @kaitlancollins @HolmesJosh @jrpsaki discuss @TheLeadCNN
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) August 1, 2018
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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