Talk show host says he was fired mid-show for criticizing Trump: 'It was pretty startling'

A conservative talk show host claims he was fired halfway through his broadcast after criticizing President Trump and a number of his associates.

Craig Silverman, who hosts a weekly radio show for Denver's 710 KNUS, said he was midway through his broadcast Saturday morning when a manager entered his studio and told him, "You're done."

710 KNUS, owned by the Salem Media Group, is a decidedly conservative station, according to Mr. Silverman, who himself voted for Trump in 2016. Even though he told the New York Times that the station is "100 percent behind Donald Trump," Silverman was still shocked by his boss's actions.

"It was pretty startling," he told CNN's "Reliable Sources" on Sunday. "I was frustrated that we couldn't talk about the facts of the impeachment case and it all came to a head as I was excoriating Donald Trump on my show yesterday."

Silverman told the program he was frustrated that none of his colleagues were discussing certain developments in the current impeachment inquiry, especially Friday's testimony by former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch.

"Marie Yovanovitch, she inspired me," Silverman said. "She was an outstanding witness, but if nobody on radio talks about it, how are the American people going to understand?"

That led to Silverman criticizing Trump and a number of his associates, including the political consultant Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, the president's former campaign consultant who is currently serving a prison sentence for tax fraud, among other crimes.

The radio host claims he was right in the middle of a live discussion on Saturday when the show suddenly cut away to a news report. That's when Silverman said his bosses fired him.

KNUS' management tells a different story, however. According to the Denver Post, KNUS said Silverman has not been fired from the station — despite the fact that all of Silverman's shows have been removed from the station's podcast feed.

"We never told [Silverman] what position to take on President Trump," Brian Taylor, KNUS' general manager and vice president told the Denver Post on Sunday. "I look forward to Craig continuing his program."

Taylor also told CNN Business that Silverman's show was not taken off the air Saturday due to his impeachment comments, but rather because he'd appeared on a competing radio show.

KNUS had told Silverman last week that they did not wish for him to appear on competing programs, but the radio host, who also works as a trial attorney, said he is an "independent contractor" for the station, and thus should be able to appear on any shows he wants.

Silverman has remained steadfast in his disappointment over Saturday's incident, taking to Twitter over the weekend to state that he will continue to speak his mind.

"I see corruption and blatant dishonesty by the President and his cronies. I also see bullying/smearing of American heroes w/courage to take an oath and tell truth. Their bravery inspires me," Silverman tweeted Saturday.