CNN is facing backlash from certain circles after its New Hampshire town hall event with former President Donald Trump last night. However, CNN CEO Chris Licht is not bothered by the criticism.
During a Thursday morning editorial call, Licht defended the network from outside complaints.
“You do not have to like the former president’s answers, but you can’t say that we didn’t get them,” Licht said, according to a transcription from former CNN host Brian Stelter. “Kaitlan pressed him again and again and made news. Made a lot of news. That is our job.”
Licht went on to say that while it “may have been uncomfortable hearing people clapping” about Trump’s remarks on being found liable for damages after writer E. Jean Carroll claimed he sexually assaulted and defamed her, it was the right course of action for the network.
“America was served very well by what we did last night,” Licht said.
However, several reports claim employees inside the network do not share Licht’s sentiments. In his Reliable Sources newsletter, CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy claimed both the network and Licht are “facing a fury of criticism — both internally and externally over the event”. The Washington Post’s Jeremy Barr reported last night that one CNN employee told him the New Hampshire town hall was “A disaster, and totally predictable.”
