CNN anchor Don Lemon is blasting Donald Trump, saying the president and his words are responsible for a recent threat of violence against the network and its journalists.
On Tuesday news emerged that a 19-year-old Michigan man, Brandon Griesemer, had made 22 phone calls to CNN between Jan. 9 and 10, threatening to kill CNN journalists over “fake news.”
“There’s nothing random about this. Nothing,” said Lemon. “This is what happens when the President of the United States, Donald Trump, repeatedly attacks members of the press simply for reporting facts he does not like.”
At one point during the monologue, Lemon addressed the president directly, saying that he knew he watched the show (even though Trump has insisted he doesn’t).
“Heard from a number of very credible sources from within the White House that you watch this show,” said Lemon.
“So, Mr. President, I’m speaking directly to you. We are not the enemy. We are not trying to silence you. It is the job of the free press to report the facts, to ask questions, tough questions, ones you don’t like, even if you don’t like the facts or those questions. No matter how many times you attack us as fake news, we will continue to do our jobs.”
Lemon also played a montage of Trump disparaging the press at public events.
Trump, who once made appearances on Lemon’s show, has long since soured to the CNN host. In tweets and elsewhere he has often targeted Lemon and his commentary. In the past he has called the host a “lightweight” and “dumb as a rock.”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/763391459110313984