Politics

Cuomo Schools Lemon On How To Interview Republicans

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Phillip Stucky Contributor
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CNN host Chris Cuomo took the time to educate fellow CNN host Don Lemon during the Thursday night hand-off between their shows.

Cuomo interviewed counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway in a very heated, extended interview, a decision that Lemon didn’t agree with.

“She didn’t — I — listen, it’s tough because I would — if I had her on, which I probably wouldn’t because I don’t think she ever answers a question, give her 10 or 15 seconds, let let her answer, she doesn’t, I say you’re not going to answer it and then move on to the next question,” Lemon said about the interview. “She just doesn’t. I don’t get anything out of it. It’s you two guys arguing back and forth.”

Cuomo didn’t appear to take the criticism well, instead offering advice so that his fellow host doesn’t alienate Republican guests in the future. (RELATED: CNN’s Don Lemon Tells Daily Beast’s Matt Lewis To ‘Shut Up’ After Being Called Out For Liberal Bias)

“I get the frustration. First of all, let me say this. We’ve had this discussion before,” Cuomo responded.  “If I held that standard, I’d have very few people on this show. By the way, it’s not a coincidence that Hannity and Maddow have so few guests. If you’re going to limit the people on your show who only answer the questions and are truthful, you aren’t going to have many guests.”

Lemon rejoined that he views the world in terms of truth and fact, not in terms of Republican or Democratic. “I just feel like we do a disservice when we try to give false equivalence to someone who is clearly, clearly obfuscating and clearly has an agenda to mislead people.”

Cuomo then responded by essentially saying that it’s his duty as a journalist to interview everyone so that his viewers have the chance to see all of the arguments on the table.

“I get it. I just believe this is who the president wants out there, I want people to see what he considers his best defense. I want them to see what he thinks is appropriate for his main counselor to do on television,” Cuomo concluded.