CNN really has gone all-in on the town hall format following its famous show-trial following the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. It’s hosted town halls for candidates, it hosted a town hall on climate change, a town hall of guns, and it most recently hosted a town hall on LGBTQ issues.
CNN has already been busted for a lack of transparency for those who step up to the microphone; back in February, the chair of the Baltimore County Democratic Party was identified simply as a “former biology professor.”
Now the Free Beacon is reporting that the questioner who teed up Elizabeth Warren’s viral answer to a question just happens to be a maxed-out donor to her campaign.
CNN Failed to Disclose Warren Town Hall Questioner Was Maxed-Out Donor https://t.co/2gfk918b7q
— David Rutz (@DavidRutz) October 14, 2019
Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s zinger at an LGBT town hall may have gone viral, but CNN failed to disclose that the questioner donated the federal maximum to her 2018 Massachusetts Senate campaign.
CNN’s Chris Cuomo introduced Morgan Cox at the Thursday town hall as “the chair of the Human Rights Campaign board of directors” who was part of “a real estate investment firm in Dallas, Texas.” Cox asked Warren what she would say if “a supporter approaches you and says, ‘Senator, I’m old-fashioned and my faith teaches me that marriage is between one man and one woman.'”
“Well, I’m going to assume it’s a guy who said that and I’m going to say, ‘Then just marry one woman. I’m cool with that,'” Warren said, before adding to uproarious laughter, “Assuming you can find one.”
The CNN chyron described Cox as “Chair, Human Rights Campaign Board of Directors.” It could have just as easily identified Cox as “Donor, Elizabeth Warren.”
It would be nice if CNN disclosed these sorts of things if it’s going to pretend to have “town halls” populated with regular folk.
And that was just the moderator.
— $7WorthofHoobastank (@busterbivin) October 14, 2019
I wonder if Warren knew when he was asking the question.
— jim lythgoe (@jhlythgoe) October 14, 2019
It was pretty clearly a rehearsed exchange.
— Zerilan (@Zerilann) October 14, 2019
I knew that was a fake exchange
— Christine (@Christi59792230) October 14, 2019
Look, I thought it was a snappy answer but don’t kid yourself, it was a set up.
I’ve done a lot of town halls.
Perfect question construction with a 2 part zinger answer? Planted https://t.co/FYtX0nLTfn— Will Ritter (@MrWillRitter) October 14, 2019
Ummm this is totally standard. I would say most of the questions from the audience are planned ahead of time and the candidate is prepared to answer them. I was once called and asked “could you attend this event and ask this question to Bernie?” I didn’t go.
— Mark (@mark_dillman) October 14, 2019
CNN fails to disclose that their town halls are scripted and nobody is surprised.
— Apocalit (Pronouns: Dude, Duder, El Duderino) (@listolyman) October 14, 2019
Did anyone not think this was the case based on the question?
— Geoff (@CanadianJeff09) October 14, 2019
Everyone knew that mess was planned. Looked too rehearsed.
— I Stan for Black Women and Humanity?tiredofit10 (@tiredofit10) October 14, 2019
It’s all staged and fake.
— Puppy Love (@PuppyLo13622926) October 14, 2019
You…*gasp* … aren’t alleging that it was staged??? Impossible!
— Trisha (@Trisha121288) October 14, 2019
Another example of set up questions to elicit what appears to be spontaneous quips from candidates. When in reality it’s all staged.
— Mr. Max Power (@Vanillabelt311) October 14, 2019
POS #notsurprised pic.twitter.com/3DTBRD64nt
— Hotep Dad Max (@HotepDadMax) October 14, 2019
— Conrad Fisher (@ConradFisher) October 14, 2019
CNN is Elizabeth Warren's super pac more than it is a news organization https://t.co/LcjfNau7oN
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) October 14, 2019
I guarantee you every one who got to ask a question is a donor who was solicited by a very special email offering them a "rare" opportunity to speak to Warren, et al. in exchange for $. That entire audience was producer-picked, campaigns-approved. https://t.co/H8Fetg6v2f
— S.L.M. Goldberg (@slmgoldberg) October 14, 2019
That’s pretty cheesy.
— BarbSchickEllison (@AuntGert) October 14, 2019
CNN is such a garbage network. https://t.co/fAmdtFxNMj
— RBe (@RBPundit) October 14, 2019
There is absolutely nothing good about CNN. https://t.co/M9DNEPOo7w
— Melissa H (@sportsmom9433) October 14, 2019
@CNN fails at everything
— Justin (@JpWeezy0341) October 14, 2019
Not like CNN is known for giving questions in advance or anything.
— CMAC12 (@CMAC122) October 14, 2019
Related:
White cisgendered candidate Pete Buttigieg can’t fully understand what it’s like to be a black trans woman https://t.co/lqEcdD8t1I
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) October 12, 2019
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