Mehdi Hasan has called out CNN for giving Donald Trump airtime next week in a planned town hall event in New Hampshire.
“I wouldn’t normalise him in that way,” the MSNBC host said, citing the former president’s history of telling lies and inciting violence.
“But if you are going to interview him, you need to have some very tough and very specific questions,” he said, offering 10 suggestions for CNN to ask the ex-president.
“You were caught on tape just last month hugging a domestic terrorist ― a woman convicted for her role in the January 6 riot,” he said. “Why should anyone who believes in law and order, who supports police ― who supports democracy ― vote for you, given your open and deliberate support for convicted criminals?”
He was referring to footage of Trump embracing Micki Larson-Olson, who served 180 days in jail for the Capitol insurrection. Trump has repeatedly vowed to pardon insurrectionists, Hasan pointed out.
Hasan also brought up the criminal investigation into Trump’s mishandling of classified documents, his indictment in the Stormy Daniels hush-money case, the ongoing civil rape trial and the former president’s history of “blatant lies”.
“Why should any American believe a single word you say?” he asked.
“Good luck, CNN,” he concluded. “But I wish you weren’t doing this.”
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