james schultz
<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma 520</font></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv9384385642stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv9384385642stylingblock-content-margin-cell" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; word-break: normal; border-collapse: collapse;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv9384385642stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; background-color: transparent; min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv9384385642stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv9384385642camarker-inner" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-break: normal; border-collapse: collapse;"><h2 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=c1574bd7ad59b0355cd52d0a08bcc1a34ab645a6a6ed67ea9c4fb9c0fb04a4ff876892889bb9092ee8755c37a93d59aa71338b4e0a7abaa6" title="After months away, pro-Trump commentators return to CNN">After months away, pro-Trump commentators return to CNN</a></font></h2></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="yiv9384385642stylingblock-content-wrapper" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; min-width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv9384385642stylingblock-content-wrapper yiv9384385642camarker-inner" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; word-break: normal; border-collapse: collapse;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px;" /><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 31px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States, CNN went several weeks without many appearances from pro-Trump pundits on its airwaves. According to Media Matters’ internal database, between March 9 and May 15, there was only one appearance by one of the network’s pro-Trump pundits on weekday CNN programming: Rick Santorum appeared on <i>Inside Politics</i> on April 13.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, that came to an end this week. CNN permitted both <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Rick Santorum</b> and <b>James Schultz</b> to appear on the network, and as soon as the pro-Trump pundits returned, so <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=c1574bd7ad59b035965359dd1f6b7a36eef5f05ec4b5b58e0f5f36f2021a86c0d8b1ea4bd3d7b9f673839ebba9ec112b77cf2b9b7063749e" title="id misinformation and right-wing conspiracy theories">did the misinformation and right-wing conspiracy theories</a>. </span></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/after-months-away-pro-trump-commentators-return-cnn"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/after-months-away-pro-trump-commentators-return-cnn</font></a></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no vid]</font></p><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States, many things changed, big and small. One small thing that changed is that CNN’s cadre of pro-Trump commentators virtually disappeared from the airwaves.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Since early March, CNN has rarely featured its pro-Trump pundits David Urban, Alice Stewart, Scott Jennings, Rob Astorino, James Schultz, Rick Santorum, and Sean Duffy. According to Media Matters’ internal database, between March 9 and May 15, there was only one appearance by one of these pundits on weekday CNN programming: Rick Santorum appeared on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Inside Politics</em> on April 13.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That brief time of rationality is at an end, sadly, as the network hosted James Schultz and Rick Santorum on Monday, May 18. </font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Schultz was on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">CNN Newsroom</em> to discuss Trump's <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/18/state-dept-ig-trump-fired-was-investigating-saudi-arms-sale.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">abrupt firing</a> of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick.</b> (Trump admitted later in the day that he fired Linick at the request of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.) <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Schultz, a <a href="https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/11/27/trump-white-house-ethics-lawyer-exits-260542" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">former ethics lawyer</a> in Trump’s White House, used the opportunity to deny the notion that Congress needs to be notified when an acting inspector general is fired.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">may 18 vid]<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3872871" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">Click here for transcript</a>)</font></p></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden fielditem" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Later in the day, the network hosted Santorum to discuss the remarks from Attorney General Bill Barr on former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden.</b> Santorum also used the opportunity to push misinformation, suggesting that parts of the right-wing “Obamagate” nonsense might actually be legitimate. No one pushed back on his claim.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">c<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/media/3872876" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">lick here for transcript</a>)</font></p></div></div><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--stories-text paragraph--view-mode--editorial" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="fancy-elems-wrapper field field--name-field-stories-text-formatted field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The other pro-Trump commentators have not been seen on weekday CNN programming in over two months now: Scott Jennings last appeared on March 6; Alice Stewart on March 4; David Urban on March 2; Sean Duffy on January 22; and Rob Astorino on December 2.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>CNN <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/cnn/cnn-reaching-breaking-point-pro-trump-commentator-steve-cortes" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">has repeatedly cycled</a> through <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cnn-pro-trump-pundits_n_5991eacce4b09071f69bb6d1" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">pro-Trump commentators</a></b>. Current Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/07/politics/kayleigh-mcenany-trump-2015/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">remade herself</a> as a pro-Trump commentator after initially criticizing candidate Trump in 2015. Corey Lewandowski, Jeffrey Lord, Paris Dennard, Ed Martin, Jason Miller, Stephen Moore, Ken Cuccinelli, Jack Kingston, Matt Whitaker, Steve Cortes, and Ben Ferguson <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/cnn/cnn-bemoans-lack-civility-after-spending-years-hiring-pro-trump-commentators" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">are a few others</a> who have played the role.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CNN doesn’t have to platform so many pundits, and the network certainly doesn’t have to platform so many outright lies and distortions.</font></p></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p>