Politics

‘You’re Cancelling Him’: CNN Host Cites ‘Cancel Culture’ In Censuring Of Sen. Richard Burr

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Brandon Gillespie Media Reporter
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CNN host John Berman told the Chairman of the North Carolina Republican party Michael Whatley on Monday that he was “cancelling” Republican North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr by voting to censure him.

While discussing the decision to censure Burr on “New Day,” Berman noted to Whatley that “we hear a lot from people in the Republican party about cancel culture” but that he was “cancelling” Burr over his “vote of conscience” when he voted to convict former President Donald Trump in the Senate impeachment trial. (RELATED: ‘Do Your Damn Job!’: Chris Cuomo Tells Ted Cruz To Get ‘Off Trump’s Teat’)

“Well, I think that the cancel culture where we see the president kicked off of all — the former president kicked off of all social media, where we see people losing their jobs, where we see people who have been hit on social media or deplatformed is entirely different from us as a state party saying that we disagree with one particular vote cast by a senator,” Whatley said.

“You’re cancelling him because of that vote,” Berman responded.

“We’re not cancelling anything. We’re saying that we disagree with one particular vote,” Whatley clarified.

Burr was one of 7 Republicans that voted to convict Trump at the conclusion of his Senate impeachment trial on Feb. 13. His vote was unexpected considering he previously voted twice that the Senate even holding the trial was unconstitutional since Trump was no longer in office. The North Carolina Republican Party voted to censure Burr on Monday.

Trump was banned by various social media platforms, including Twitter, following the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and months of claiming the 2020 election was riddled with widespread election fraud. These actions have been described by some as censorship and contrary to the First Amendment.

Berman and Whatley went on to discuss who was at fault for the Capitol riot and the race to take over Burr’s Senate seat once he retires.