For a second during the interview with former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg on CNN last night, I thought I was watching an episode of Dr. Phil. Host Erin Burnett pretended to express concern for Nunberg’s well-being, while really just exploiting him for ratings to a national audience.
After being subpoenaed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Nunberg went on a media tour that can only be described as a public meltdown. He threatened Mueller to arrest him, called the Special Counsel’s subpoena “ridiculous,” then a couple of hours later said he would “probably cooperate.”
Nunberg also called Sarah Huckabee Sanders a “fat slob,” continuing with, “but that’s unrelevant [sic]. The person she works for has a 30-percent approval rating.” He then blamed Trump for causing Mueller’s investigation “because he’s an idiot.”
It was clear that something was off with the man – and when he appeared on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront,” the titular host pretended to be concerned that she smelled alcohol on his breath. “We talked earlier about what people in the White House were saying about you, whether you were drinking, or on drugs, or whatever had happened today,” Burnett said during the interview. “Talking to you, I have smelled alcohol on your breath.”
Nunberg denied the comment, saying, “Well, I have not had a drink.” “Anything else?” Burnett pressed.
“No. Besides my meds. Anti-depressants, is that OK?” Nunberg asked. “They can say whatever they want, I don’t really care.”
If she was really concerned, why not cut the interview short there? She knew what she was smelling, and in continuing the interview, she knowingly interviewed a man who was intoxicated. The interview went on for a half-hour, and while it’s been hard to look away from the trainwreck, it’s hard not to feel bad for Nunberg, who is being exploited during what appears to be a time of mental crisis.
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/970835544774205440
https://twitter.com/shashigette/status/970840195951099904
A sad state our media is in today. Alcoholism is no joke. Two years sober today. I hope he gets the help he needs.
— Gone to Gab (@richardcranium6) March 6, 2018
It is obvious that Sam Nunberg is not well. @ErinBurnett said she smelled alcohol on his breath. He has admitted to making up stories in the past. This man needs help and not to be taken advantage of by cable channels giving him unlimited airtime to self – destruct.
— Boris Epshteyn (@BorisEP) March 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/owillis/status/970835274052833280?
Yesterday, CNN also ran a story titled “Russian model promises to spill Trump-Russia secrets” and aired a segment in which a reporter traveled to Thailand to meet an imprisoned prostitute who claimed to have evidence of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.
Anything for ratings, I suppose.
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