CNN NewsNight adopted a five-guest roundtable format about 14 months ago. The program frequently features crosstalk, shouting, and abrupt exchanges. A recent episode included repeated clashes between podcaster Pete Dominick and conservative host Ben Ferguson over President Donald Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Ferguson also argued with former FBI agent Asha Rangappa about Ghislaine Maxwell's credibility. The show reached a peak during coverage of the FBI search of John Bolton's Maryland home. Some critics called the raid politically motivated, while defenders cited other prosecutions and the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search in response.
The charge was made by podcaster Pete Dominick, who repeatedly clashed with conservative radio host Ben Ferguson. At one point, Ferguson tried to claim that President Donald Trump had not been friends with deceased child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. That's a lie! Dominick protested, prompting crosstalk. In another heated exchange, Ferguson mixed it up with former FBI agent Asha Rangappa over the credibility of Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. This involved yet more yelling.
But it was during a segment about the FBI raid on John Bolton's home when the show reached a cacophonous crescendo. Hours earlier, agents executed a search warrant at the Maryland home of Bolton, who served as Trump's National Security Advisor and has since become one of his biggest critics from the right. Critics of Trump have said the raid appears to be politically motivated. Defenders of the raid have pointed to the prosecutions of Trump including the 2022 FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago even though Bolton had nothing to do with those.
Here is the exchange, which also involved GOP strategist Kristin Davison, that prompted Phillip to command her panel to zip it: FERGUSON: Again, let's just calm down and let this system work. [CROSSTALK] RANGAPPA: But I'm glad that you're acknowledging that FERGUSON: I'm just saying it's pretty rich from John Bolton tonight. RANGAPPA: I'm glad that you're acknowledging that the search of Mar-a-Lago would've been similarly [CROSSTALK] PHILLIP: Go ahead, Kristin. DAVISON: No, I think, look, we don't know w
Collection
[
|
...
]