CNN Anchor Gets Emotional on Air Defending Baltimore After Trump's Latest Racist Tweets
Democratic congressman Elijah Cummings, the chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, got into a heated exchange with acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan on Thursday. As the acting head of DHS, McAleenan is responsible for both Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as the sprawling detention networks both agencies are running, and as such he was called to testify on the Trump administration's child separation policy.
"You feel like you're doing a great job, right?" Cummings asked McAleenan. "We’re doing our level best in a very challenging situation," McAleenan replied, before Cummings abruptly cut him off, raising his voice angrily. “What does that mean? What does that mean when a child is sitting in their own feces, can’t take a shower? Come on, man. What’s that about?”
On Saturday, less than an hour after Fox News ran a segment critical of Cummings behavior during the hearing, Donald Trump took to Twitter to lash out at the congressman, calling Cummings's Baltimore district a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess," and adding, "Why is so much money sent to the Elijah Cummings district when it is considered the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States. No human being would want to live there. Where is all this money going? How much is stolen? Investigate this corrupt mess immediately!"
This is the second time a month that Trump has singled out minority members of Congress and accused them of coming from or representing "crime-infested" and "corrupt" places. Speaking on CNN on Saturday, anchor Victor Blackwell also pointed out that Trump frequently uses the word "infested" when he's talking about non-white people, whether it's civil rights activist-turned-congressman John Lewis's Georgia district or parts of Africa. But Blackwell had a personal stake in this specific attack—he grew up in Baltimore.
"The President says about Congressman Cummings' district that no human would want to live there," Blackwell said. "You know who did, Mr. President? I did, from the day I was brought home from the hospital to the day I left for college, and a lot of people I care about still do." He continued:
There are challenges, no doubt. But people are proud of their community. I don't want to sound self-righteous, but people get up and go to work there. They care for their families there. They love their children, who pledge allegiance to the flag just like people who live in districts of congressmen who support you, sir. They are Americans, too.
Originally Appeared on GQ
