Micah Van Huss, GOP lawmaker, offers bills to formally recognize CNN, Washington Post as ‘fake news’

Tennessee would officially consider both CNN and The Washington Post to be “fake news” outlets under a resolution proposed by a Republican state lawmaker.

Introduced Wednesday by Tennessee state Rep. Micah Van Huss, the bill would “recognize CNN and The Washington Post as fake news and condemn them for denigrating our citizens,” according to its language.

“I’ve filed HJR 779 on behalf of a constituency that’s tired of fake news and Republicans who don’t fight,” Mr. Van Huss said on social media.

“Over 60% of Tennessee voters voted for President Trump, and CNN and The Washington Post denigrated them for doing that,” he told WJHL-TV, the station reported.

A copy of the resolution posted on the Tennessee General Assembly website takes aim at each of the outlets over their respective coverage of Mr. Trump and makes specific references to reporting that Mr. Van Huss characterized as comparing the president’s supporters to cult members.

Referring to both media outlets, Mr. Van Huss wrote in his bill that “they are the true masters of deploying mobs to demand total conformity and compliance with their agenda.”

The Washington Post declined to comment on the proposal. CNN did not immediately respond to an inquiry seeking the network’s reaction.

Mr. Van Huss, 41, has represented Tennessee’s House District 6 since 2013, which is composed of part of Johnson City and the surrounding area south of the Virginia border.

He previously made headlines in 2018 for citing The Onion, the satirical news site, while discussing a bill up for consideration in the Tennessee state legislature.

Brad Batt, a Democrat who intends to run against Mr. Van Huss in November, called the incumbent’s latest proposal “an absolute waste of everyone’s time and taxpayer money.”

“Our public schools are under attack by a misguided voucher program and rural hospitals are closing at an alarming rate, but this is the garbage that @MicahVanHuss is focused on,” Mr. Batt said on Twitter. “We deserve better.”