During a recent appearance on MSNBC, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) joined those speaking in opposition to a town hall Donald Trump recently did with CNN. Though it hadn’t at the time, the event has since taken place, and throughout the lead-up and thereafter, CNN has faced intense criticism for platforming the former president though it’s absolutely not some kind of open question how he would use such a forum.
Even recently, outside of the context of his direct political ambitions, he’s seemingly tried to use the platforms to which he does have access to potentially stir up violence on his behalf. He wrote on Truth Social, which is his knock-off social media site, about so-called death and destruction accompanying the emergence of an indictment against him, as though he was trying to give eager supporters of his a preemptive excuse, sharing a rhetorical wink and nod in favor of violent action, which didn’t materialize. And he continues backing the individual participants in the Capitol riot themselves, clamoring at times for their release and expressing an interest in issuing pardons if he regains the White House. Pardoning almost anyone who participated would show tacit agreement with violence, since fully separating the actions of those accused of it and those, well, not isn’t exactly possible. They helped each other.
“Yes, Officer Sicknick and others defended me, defended the employees of the Capitol,” Swalwell observed. “They also defended the reporters. When I was moved from the House floor to a side evacuation room, we were in there with reporters. And so it was CNN reporters who also suffered at the madness and the lies that this guy spun up and then aimed at this armed mob.”
Swalwell also more directly insisted Trump doesn’t “deserve” the platform of the town hall that CNN provided. Check out his remarks below:
