Kathy Griffin, CNN Denounce Pro-Trump Video Depicting Violence Against Celebrities & Media
Click here to read the full article.
A violent video recently shown at a Trump resort shows a gunman resembling President Trump hunting down the president’s critics and members of the media.
The video was shown last week at a three-day conference of the president’s supporters at the Trump National Doral Miami, The New York Times reported Sunday evening.
More from Deadline
White House Spokeswoman: Donald Trump 'Strongly Condemns' Violent Video Played At Trump Resort
Hunter Biden Vows To Avoid Conflicts Of Interest If His Father Is Elected President
The Times said it obtained the video from a man who attended the conference and recorded the footage with his phone. The clip was posted on social media tonight and is disturbing.
The video includes a logo for Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign and shows the gunman walking through a church, shooting, stabbing and beating members of the news media, celebrities, and Trump’s political rivals. The Trump campaign told the Times it had nothing to do with the video.
“That video was not produced by the campaign, and we do not condone violence,” said campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh.
The footage includes what appears to be an edited scene from the film Kingsman: The Secret Service.
The video shows Trump’s head on the body of a man who walks through the “Church of Fake News,” and opens fire on people resembling his critics. The footage is set to music and shows the gunman targeting parishioners whose faces have been replaced by the logos of media organizations.
The gunman shoots Vox, Politico and Vice News. He stabs Huff Post, The Washington Post and Rosie O’Donnell, and attacks Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). The killer then sets Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on fire. A man with a BBC News logo on his head pulls out a gun and tries to fight back, but the killer pummels him, turns and opens fire on a person with The Hill logo in their head.
The carnage continues with the gunman opening fire on Black Lives Matter, MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah). The man then beats former President Barack Obama, attacks CNN, shoots CBS at close range, and beats former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Near the end of the video, a Kathy Griffin look-alike is hit with a sledgehammer.
“I’m depicted as being murdered by The President of the United States in this video,” Griffin tweeted Sunday night. “The left, right & center left me hanging out to dry regarding the Trump mask photo. Please don’t let it happen again. No, this video isn’t a joke to his followers. And it will not be taken as such.”
CNN denounced the video in a strongly-worded statement.
“Sadly, this is not the first time that supporters of the president have promoted violence against the media in a video they apparently find entertaining — but it is by far and away the worst,” the statement said. “The images depicted are vile and horrific. The president and his family, the White House and the Trump campaign need to denounce it immediately in the strongest possible terms. Anything less equates to a tacit endorsement of violence and should not be tolerated by anyone.”
The White House Correspondents Association also spoke out, saying it was “horrified” by the footage.
“All Americans should condemn this depiction of violence directed towards journalists,” the group’s statement said. “We have previously told the president his rhetoric could incite violence. Now we call on him and everybody associated with this conference to denounce this video and affirm that violence has no place in our society.”
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
