GOP, Trump campaign rip CNN for coverage of Horowitz hearing

The Republican National Committee (RNC) and President Trump’s reelection campaign slammed CNN for its coverage of a hearing featuring Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s testimony on the origins of the FBI’s investigation into Trump’s campaign.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel tweeted out a time-lapse shot of multiple TVs showing CNN, Fox News and MSNBC’s coverage of the hearing, which included a fiery opening statement by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) defending Trump. 

Fox News and MSNBC covered the entirety of Graham’s statement without commercials, while CNN did not.

The same time-lapse tweet from McDaniel also showed that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler’s (D-N.Y.) opening statement during his committee’s first impeachment hearing was covered by all three major cable news networks, prompting calls of bias from the RNC chairwoman.

“Media bias is not only how something is covered – it’s what they don’t cover. And this is what bias at @CNN looks like,” wrote McDaniel to her more than 430,000 followers.

Media bias is not only how something is covered – it’s what they don’t cover.

And this is what bias at @CNN looks like. pic.twitter.com/G85Yefrq6t

— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) December 11, 2019

Trump, one of McDaniel’s followers, used the opportunity to renew his attack on the U.S. news media as fake and “totally corrupt.”

The News Media in our Country is FAKE and in many cases, totally CORRUPT! https://t.co/hj9plf0GMC

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2019

Trump has gone after CNN more than any other broadcast news outlet, primarily on Twitter and at rallies, often referring to the 39-year-old network as “fake news CNN.” The president has not appeared on the network since his time as a candidate when he conducted an interview with anchor Anderson Cooper in August 2016.

The Horowitz hearing on Wednesday came two days after his report found the FBI’s decision to open a probe into Trump campaign associates was not motivated by political bias. It also found, however, “significant inaccuracies and omissions” in the FBI’s application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court.