IRVINE – In case you missed it, last week Congressman Dana Rohrabacher took part in a disastrous, unhinged interview/tirade on CNN in which he doesn’t deny being subjected to FBI and Special Prosecutor Mueller scrutiny. Clips of the interview quickly went viral, with many characterizing Rohrabacher’s performance as a ‘full meltdown’ and accusing him of bullying host Ana Cabrera. Some highlights from the thirteen minute interview include:
- When asked about the Robert Mueller investigation, which Rohrabacher attempted to block in February, he accused CNN of ‘driv[ing] special prosecutors.’ A meeting between Rohrabacher and disgraced former national security advisor Michael Flynn is currently being investigated by Robert Mueller. When asked if he had spoken to the FBI or Mueller’s team, Rohrabacher responded “yes, I am an open book to everybody, and I have spoken to everybody who wanted to talk to me.”
- Rohrabacher vociferously defended Paul Manafort. Paul Manafort is a Dana Rohrabacher donor who gave $1,000 to Rohrabacher in 2014 while acting as an unregistered foreign agent of the government of Ukraine. He has been indicted under the Mueller investigation for those activities, but Rohrabacher has refused calls to return the donation.
- Rohrabacher says that CNN is not ‘a news operation’
You can watch the full interview online here. DCCC spokesperson Drew Godinich released the following statement:
“Congressman Rohrabacher’s unhinged meltdown on CNN confirms what we’ve known all along: that Dana Rohrabacher is fundamentally unfit to serve the people of California. His dangerous accusations and associations with shadowy, corrupt figures like Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn should disqualify him from holding public office. Now that he’s not denying having been subjected to scrutiny by the FBI and Special Prosecutor Mueller regarding the Russia investigation, his refusal to give up power is all the more dangerous.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
GOP lawmaker confronts CNN host in heated interview over Mueller probe
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) got into a heated argument with CNN anchor Ana Cabrera on Friday over Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s recusal from the Russia investigation, saying he “got no respect” and that the network does not “respect Trump.”
After suggesting that Sessions should not have recused himself from the Russia investigation in order to avoid the appointment of a special counsel, Rohrabacher interrupted a retort from Cabrera, who said that many legal experts agreed Sessions did the right thing in recusing himself.
“Maybe somebody who is your guest should be able to say a few words,” Rohrabacher interrupted. “Your last interviews had nobody on the other side of the issue coming in to have the discussion with CNN. Maybe you should give me a chance, when you have me on your program, to express my opinion.”
Rohrabacher went on to make the point that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation has so far brought indictments against several members of the Trump campaign for issues unrelated to collusion with Russia during the election, such as Paul Manafort’s indictment for money laundering, among other charges, and Michael Flynn’s indictment for lying to the FBI.
When Cabrera tried to interject to ask another question, Rohrabacher snapped that CNN wasn’t a “news operation.”
“Please, you might let me make my point before you interrupt me and try to refute me,” Rohrabacher responded. “This isn’t a news operation! This is what the president is upset about. He’s not getting a fair share from you and from the other media and things like this that will try to build into something sinister has happened.”
Cabrera responded, saying that she was not trying to show the California lawmaker any disrespect.
“No disrespect? I got no respect. No disrespect? You don’t respect Trump, you don’t respect people who disagree with you politically and that’s why the news media, which has an agenda, drives special prosecutors,” Rohrabacher said. He then pivoted back to his point about the scope of the special prosecutor’s mandate and why Sessions should not have recused himself.
“You don’t want a special prosecutor unless he’s looking at a special issue. That’s when you do it,” he said. “We’ve already seen Manafort, here he is, I mean, having to face the onslaught of things he had — that had nothing to do with Trump’s collusion with Russia.”
The clip was quickly picked up by many on social media, including CNN media reporter Brian Stelter, who tweeted that many Twitter users said Rohrabacher was “bullying” Cabrera.
“This CNN segment is going viral — lots of tweeters saying @RepRohrabacher acted like a bully when @AnaCabrera tried to ask Q’s and fact-check him,” Stelter tweeted.
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