C-SPAN said it reported to the FBI one of their callers for making “what seemed to be a threat” directed at CNN host Brian Stelter and CNN anchor Don Lemon.
During an “open phones” segment of C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” series on Friday morning, the network said a viewer who claimed to be from State College, Pa., called in to discuss criticism of the media.
The network said in the statement that the caller made “specific references” to Stelter and Lemon and “ended his call with what seemed to be a threat directed to the two journalists.”
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The network also said it reported the incident later on Friday and “all relevant information to the FBI” and “cooperated fully” with CNN security officials.
The practice of reporting threats of violence made by callers appears to be a standard practice at the network, which also added in the statement that “specific threats of violence will be reported to the appropriate authorities.”
The statement came a day after Stelter on Sunday aired a clip of a C-SPAN caller threatening to shoot him and Lemon.
The caller, who was identified as “Don,” accused the two journalists of “calling Trump supporters all racists,” a claim Stelter immediately refuted.
“They don’t even know these Americans out here and they are calling us racists because we voted for Trump?” Don said in the call on Friday. “Come on. Give me a break. They started the war. I see them, I’m going to shoot them.”
The CNN host aired the clip just hours after President Trump ramped up his attacks on the media and called the press “the enemy of the people” in a tweet on Sunday morning.