CNN anchor Jim Acosta joined in Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.about President Donald Trump’s pardon of the Jan. 6 suspects in a heated clash on the liberal network that quickly went viral on social media.
On his first day in office on Monday, Trump signed pardoned approximately 1,500 defendants who were charged with crimes stemming from the riot at the U.S. Capitol, fulfilling a promise he made in December to act quickly and pardon them.
Acosta criticized Burchett on his show Wednesday about the pardon and demanded he convict it.
Burchett told Acosta that many of these defendants did not receive a fair trial and that those who entered the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, should not be allowed to “rot in jail for the rest of their lives in a federal prison and never be charged.”
TRUMP GAVE ALMOST ALL OF JANUARY. 6 Defendants ON THE DAY OF THE INUGURATION
CNN host Jim Acosta spoke with Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., about President Trump’s pardons of the Jan. 6 suspects. (CNN/screenshot)
As Acosta continued to pressure him to condemn the pardons, Burchett said he did not know the details of everyone’s case but said those who broke the law should be in prison.
“What happened to ‘back the blue’? What happened to supporting police officers?” Acosta asked heatedly. “Your party has said time and time again: ‘We support the blue.’ It sounds like you’ve let the blue down! You’re betraying the blue!”
Burchett accused CNN of selective outrage over Trump’s pardon of former President Joe Biden converted sentences for murderers and child molesters before he left office.
He asked Acosta why there was no demand for justice for the violence that occurred during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots.
“Why don’t you just editorialize and not let me come in?” the Republican shot back. “Look what’s happened to the police in the last four years? What’s happened to all the riots that have happened all over the country? Police officers have been killed. Courthouses have been set on fire. More than 22 police cars have been set on fire. But No one went to jail for that.” .”
“Where are your crocodile tears for that?” he asked Acosta.
Federal agents launch tear gas at a group of demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon, on July 26, 2020. (AP)
Acosta accused Burchett of engaging in “whataboutism” before again imploring his guest to condemn Trump.
“Why don’t you just say, ‘You were wrong, Mr. President?’ Say it! Why can’t you say it?” Acosta pressed.
The two continued the debate for nearly ten minutes, with Burchett calling the treatment of the January 6 defendants “political from the start.”
He recounted how some of his own constituents, who had left the Capitol grounds before the day’s riot began, had been visited and “harassed” by the FBI.
As Acosta continued to pressure Burchett to criticize Trump’s actions, the Republican blasted CNN for its ratings and bias.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., mocked CNN’s ratings and bias against President Trump in a fiery clash with Jim Acosta on the liberal network. (Getty Images)
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“Y’all are continuing this story about attacking Trump. You just can’t stand the fact that he won and America has spoken and your opinion has been greatly diminished,” Burchett said.
Video clips of the segment went viral on X on Wednesday. Burchett shared a clip on his own account criticizing CNN for trying to lecture his party on morality after Biden’s controversial pardon.
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The Justice Department reported that approximately 140 police officers were assaulted during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. This included law enforcement members from both the U.S. Capitol Police and approximately 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Diana Stancy of Fox News contributed to this article.
