CNN political analyst Kirsten Powers pointed the finger at President Donald Trump on Wednesday for a hostile climate towards journalists — and specifically in the case of a physical altercation between The Guardian‘s Ben Jacobs and Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte.
“Isn’t this possibly tied into the fact that we have a president that’s constantly fomenting rage against reporters?,” Powers wondered on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360.”I mean, is it possible that there’s some connection here?”
Former Trump flack Bryan Lanza replied, “We have a country that doesn’t trust reporters.”
The columnist responded by emphasizing her point.
“No, no, but it’s at a different level than it’s ever been,” Powers said. “I mean, there’s no comparison to the way it is today than even a year ago, the absolute rage towards reporters.”
Interestingly, Trump critic Jeffrey Toobin chimed in and asserted that there probably wouldn’t be criminal charges in the case: “I doubt this is going to wind up with an actual prosecution.”
You can see Powers, Lanza, and Toobin’s response to the Jacobs/Gianforte incident in the video embedded above, via CNN.
[image via screengrab]