MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell swung hard at his network’s competitor, CNN, in the latest edition of former senator Al Franken’s podcast, accusing the channel of bringing on “liars.”
Franken, a former Democratic lawmaker who was ousted after accusations of sexual misconduct, spoke about CNN as a more or less centrist network, but said he felt like it leaned toward hating President Trump.
O’Donnell disagreed, saying one-third of CNN’s payroll is made up of people who “love” Trump.
“You’re guaranteed in any hour of CNN, minimum one-third is the programming will be supportive of Trump,” O’Donnell said.
Further, he argued, the president “knows on MSNBC there will be no one defending him because we don’t bring on liars. I don’t bring on a liar. I won’t do that.”
A CNN spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on O’Donnell’s remarks.
In 2018, after former Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller became the sixth conservative CNN contributor to lose his perch at the network since the 2016 election, one insider who appeared frequently on the channel told TheWrap, “People who support Trump, [CNN] treats them like second-class citizens. There is an extraordinary target on anyone who is pro-Trump back at CNN.”
7 Trump Fans Who Could Replace Jeffrey Lord on CNN, From Scaramucci to Scott Baio
CNN's firing of Jeffrey Lord leaves an opening for a new pro-Trump defender. Here are eight contenders.
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Anthony Scaramucci
The Mooch is loose, and no one would be more entertaining than the very short-term White House communications director. CNN would have to use a seven-second delay, in case of any f---ing explosions.
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Sean Spicer
Spicey must be missing the spotlight. If he were to join CNN, Melissa McCarthy could reprise her famous SNL impersonation: Win-win.
The former face of "The Blaze" is the youngest person on this list, which couldn't hurt CNN as it tries to draw younger viewers. And she was willing to talk out her disagreements with Trevor Noah. A CNN gig would dramatically raise her profile.
The Blaze
Roger Stone
The dirty trickster is having a moment thanks to a new documentary, "Get Me Roger Stone" -- and of course predicting that Trump could win long before anyone took him seriously. His website describes him as an "alternative historian," though, and we know how CNN feels about "alternative facts."
ABC
Corey Lewandowski
Too easy: Lewandowski was formerly a commentator for CNN, Fox News and One America News Network. He was also Trump's campaign manager. The future's so bright.
Twitter
Scott Baio
Chachi has been down from Day 1. And we know how much Trump values loyalty, as long as your name isn't Jeff Sessions... or Anthony Scaramucci. Anyway, Baio on CNN would bring us many happy days. And it's not like he's busy.
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Chachi or the Mooch could be just the advocates Trump needs
CNN's firing of Jeffrey Lord leaves an opening for a new pro-Trump defender. Here are eight contenders.