Pigs Fly: CNN FINALLY Calls Out Dems for Hypocritical Stance on Political Violence

It’s better late than never. After CNN’s embarrassing initial response to the news of Brett Kavanaugh’s attempted assassination — which saw law enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild say that the attacker didn’t have a weapon “at all” and that the threat could have come from “both sides” — Brianna Keilar and her panel on Thursday morning’s New Day finally called out Democratic leaders for their hypocrisy regarding political violence.

CNN political correspondent David Gregory began, “I mean, activism has its place, of course, speaking out has its place too, but to threaten a Supreme Court Justice and his family outside of his home is beyond the pale.” 

But Gregory didn’t stop with a generalized platitude:

It is true. Many people who hold political power on the left are so hypocritical. We are constantly being lectured about the excesses and violence of the right by them, such as Donald Trump’s January 6 speech., and yet they are out there countenancing — as they have with statements before — that it’s okay to stand outside these people’s homes. 

The media circus surrounding January 6 is so intense that it’s easy to compare the words of Democratic leaders with this.

Keilar then played two clips from the past month, one of Jen Psaki saying that the White House does “encourage” the protests outside the Justices’ homes, and another of Chuck Schumer dismissing the protests, saying, “there’s protests three, four times a week outside my house.” 

Curiously absent from the clips was Schumer’s far more incendiary speech from 2020, where he told Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch that they would “pay the price” for overturning Roe vs. Wade and that “You won’t know what hit you.” Given that Justices are appointed for life, Schumer seems to have been calling for physical violence against the Justices. 

After discussing a bill that is currently stalled in the House that would extend security protections from Justices to their families if deemed necessary, CNN’s chief national affairs analyst Kasie Hunt went for the jugular, “And sure, if you want to show up at the Supreme Court and protest — you know, maybe that’s the place to do it, This is clearly not the position Democratic leaders currently find themselves. I believe it’s due to their base.”

Democratic leaders have used inciting rhetoric against conservatives for years, and now they seem to have, in the words of Chuck Schumer, “unleashed the whirlwind”: people who have seemingly listened to them are now willing to travel across the country to attempt to assassinate a Supreme Court Justice.

Gregory concluded by stating emphatically, “You can’t keep tearing down these institutions and saying to people that they’re political actors and go protest them. You have to protect the Supreme Court as something that’s above politics, even when there is politics involved in some of what they do, we gotta do that for their safety.”

We should not be as surprised as we are that this is being reported, but given that the rest of the media seems to either be downplaying or downright ignoring the second assassination attempt on a Supreme Court Justice in our nation’s history, seeing a group of CNN contributors finally take Democrats to task over their violent rhetoric is very refreshing.

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Click “Expand” to see the relevant transcript.

CNN’s Neue Day
06/09/22
7:13:45 ET

BRIANNA KEILAR David: I don’t think we had to be worried about threats. We now understand the reason there was so much concern. 

DAVID GREGRY: This is truly horrifying. Activism has its place. Speaking out does too. However, to threaten a Supreme Court Justice outside his home and family is not acceptable. All politicians have an obligation to condemn the situation and do something. 

It is true that many people who hold political power on the left are hypocritical. They lecture us all the time about the excesses of the right, including Donald Trump on January 6, fomenting mob violence, and yet they are out there countenancing — as they have with statements before — that it’s okay to stand outside these people’s homes. 

KEILAR : Could we hear that sound? Jen Psaki, former White House Press Secretary and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are the two. 

[Cuts to clips]

JEN PSAKI [White House press briefing, 05/10/22]: I know that there’s an outrage right now, I guess, about —  uh, protests that have been peaceful to date and we certainly continue to encourage that outside of judges’ homes and that’s the president’s position. 

CHUCK SCHUMER [press conference, 05/10/22]: If protests are peaceful, yes, my house is — there’s protests three, four times a week outside my house. That’s the American way to peacefully protest is okay, and I’ve been — that’s my wife, sorry — 

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER [press conference, 05/10/22]: She’s protesting. 

SCHUMER [press conference, 05/10/22]: Maybe there’s a protest outside. 

[Laughter]

[Cuts back to live]

KEILAR – It is not a joke as long as you think about it. Let’s be very clear: These were statements that were made following the leak of an abortion draft weeks ago. 

GREGORY: Right. But the problem is, uh — yes, peacefully protest but what’s happening — I mean, I go back to, you know, Bill Clinton’s admonition, right, about right-wing radio, “be careful on whose ears these messages fall.” You go outside someone’s house, that is menacing when there’s children there who are not protected by security. Their families are safe, the Justices are secure, and they are going to school every morning. It’s intimidating. 

And then you can have an instance here where you apparently have someone who by any — uh, you know, measure appears to not be mentally well, and is — uh, talking about suicidal ideation and turning himself in, but this is what can happen when you have this kind of intense incendiary atmosphere. 

KEILAR : There is also this House bill which has been hung up. They could have acted on something to protect the family members as David talked about, it’s not — it’s not been passed yet. 

KASIE HUNT: Right, so the Senate unanimously said, okay, if the — you know, the Officers of the Court think that family members or other staff members need protection they should be able to call for that. The House of Representatives is still considering it. This is why I believe it will be critical to pay attention to the timing. I mean, we are expecting — you know, we’re heading into the final days of the Court’s session, always the most volatile and intense, we’re expecting, obviously, a potentially earth-shattering decision on Roe vs. Wade, there’s also some gun decisions coming out. So I would like to find out if that bill will make it through the House of Representatives. It is not on the right track at this time. 

Yes, you know, I agree with David. 
Being American is not enough. People in leadership positions have to communicate with people who are in their corner about the lines and boundaries. This is especially important when political violence is permeating more conversations. What point should we decide to say that they deserve? Public servants have the right to live in privacy and safety.
 
And sure, if you want to show up at the Supreme Court and protest — you know, maybe that’s the place to do it, that’s clearly not where Democratic leaders are right now and I think it’s because of their base. 

KEILAR: We — we have a lot more to talk about ahead and I want to make sure that we leave room for it. I should just say real quickly Steny Hoyer did say relatively soon, but again, it’s not — there’s no hard and fast date for when this —

GREGORY: You can’t keep tearing down these institutions and saying to people that they’re political actors and go protest them. The Supreme Court must be protected as an institution that is not subject to politics. This includes any instances where politics may have been involved.