Jake Tapper demands Jim Jordan apologize for misrepresenting reporters at Barr hearing
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CNN host Jake Tapper demanded Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) apologize on Tuesday for playing an edited montage at the House Judiciary Committee's hearing with Attorney General Bill Barr that misleadingly suggested reporters were calling violent protests "peaceful."
The big picture: In the full clips played by Tapper, the CNN reporters that Jordan had clipped were noting that the protests tended to remain peaceful during the day and turn violent at night. Jordan's video was part of an effort to show that violent mobs have been attacking law enforcement and causing destruction in American cities, and that the Trump administration's response has been warranted.
What they're saying: "Our reporters, Dianne Gallagher and Josh Campbell, as you saw, accurately described the protests as peaceful and then often exploding into something else, including violence at night," Tapper said.
- "But Congressman Jordan, you just quoted the part of what they said that said "peaceful protests," when that wasn't the full context. That's not what they said, they weren't calling violent protests 'peaceful.'"
- "Congressman Jordan, you did a disservice to them. And, more importantly, you did a disservice to the American people, and you did a disservice to the truth."
The other side: Asked about the video on Fox News, Jordan responded: "The video speaks for itself. You had two reporters in that video saying these are peaceful protests while there's a building burning in the background, for goodness sake. So we just presented the truth."
Go deeper: Press freedom incidents have surged during police protests
