Calling out Fox Information on Tuesday for falsely smearing Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) after she was violently attacked, CNN anchor Jake Tapper accused the conservative cable large of peddling a “blatant lie” that impressed deranged viewers to bombard the congresswoman with abusive calls.
After Craig was assaulted within the elevator of her D.C. condominium constructing earlier this month by a violent repeat offender, the Minnesota lawmaker referred to as for a crackdown on crime and recidivism. Fox Information then adopted up by framing the consultant as a hypocrite due to her supposed ties to the so-called “Defund the Police” motion, noting a former staffer’s help for the racial justice protests after George Floyd’s 2020 homicide.
After the community’s most-watched present The 5 ran a section final week criticizing Craig for her supposedly anti-police stance, the congresswoman’s workplace launched excerpts of profane cellphone messages she’d acquired saying she “deserved” her assault. A number of the calls particularly referenced The 5’s protection of Craig.
“I’m listening to your story on The 5. So, you bought attacked, huh? In Minnesota? Properly, that is what you get for turning that what, 5 or six-time felon, crack-smoking, fentanyl-eating, counterfeit money-passing, armed robber holding weapons on fetuses, n****r [George] Floyd as a public hero,” one racist caller shouted. The identical caller additionally mentioned they hoped to quickly see Craig violently sexually assaulted.
Interviewing Craig on Tuesday, Tapper aired a montage of the abhorrent calls the congresswoman had acquired alongside The 5 section that appeared to encourage the marketing campaign.
“If you wish to defund the police, we’ll notify 9-1-1,” Fox Information host Jeanine Pirro mentioned within the Feb. 15 broadcast. “Everytime you name them, you don’t get the police… That’s what they need; that’s what they need to get. However now that the congresswoman has been victimized, now she feels your ache? Nonsense. And for many who say ‘at the very least now she’s on our aspect,’ baloney! You’ve executed your harm, keep it up!”
Craig, whose workplace has flagged her help for legislation enforcement and police funding, advised Tapper that each Fox and the Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee have “accelerated the variety of assaults we’re getting immediately and particularly.” (The NRCC referred to as Craig a “hypocrite” for “backtracking” in her “earlier help for defunding the police” on the identical day Fox Information took goal on the congresswoman.)
“The lies are harmful, and what I need the GOP to do is I need them to cease mendacity about my document and in regards to the document of Democrats usually throughout the nation,” Craig added. “You realize, I've a robust relationship and monitor document of supporting legislation enforcement within the second district of Minnesota. The truth is, I used to be actually endorsed by the police in my final election.”
Mentioning that Craig has “by no means referred to as for defunding the police,” Tapper defined that Fox Information’ claims about her largely heart on a one-time staffer’s feedback whereas noting that it does seem “fueled” by the NRCC’s assertion final week.
“It’s spurious stuff. I by no means discovered any proof you referred to as for defunding the police,” Tapper continued, prompting Craig to verify that the GOP printed the assertion almost per week after she was assaulted.
“That is simply actually an illustration of how gutter politics and outright lies and absurdities have infiltrated our politics and, frankly, Fox Information and most of the commentators who work there,” she exclaimed. “And it’s harmful. It’s harmful to elected officers like myself. It’s harmful to our democracy when you may’t inform the reality to your viewers.” Tapper, in the meantime, noticed that her views on policing shouldn’t even actually matter within the first place.
“I imply to be clear, even in case you had referred to as for defunding the police, that doesn’t imply that anyone must be making mild of you being punched within the face,” the anchor declared. “I imply, it doesn’t matter your political place. That mentioned, they’re additionally simply mendacity. It’s only a blatant lie.”
Requested by Tapper what she would say to the individuals “who're mendacity about your document” or really feel that it's okay to threaten her, Craig replied that it’s “tremendous harmful,” “uncontrolled” and so they “have to cease mendacity about our information.”
The NRCC, for its half, has remained unapologetic over its false claims about Craig and her political positions.
“Nobody condones violence towards elected officers,” NRCC Nationwide Press Secretary Will Reinert mentioned in a press release on Friday. “However Angie Craig can't dispute she is carefully related to defund the police extremists and voted with Ilhan Omar 93 p.c of the time.”