CNN has pledged to stop booking Donald Trump supporter and regular guest Roger Stone after he wrote a series of incendiary tweets against network personalities.
In a statement released today to Media Matters, a CNN spokesperson said of Stone: “He will no longer appear on CNN.”
Stone is a notorious “dirty trickster” who recently co-authored The Clintons' War on Women. The 2015 book is dedicated to -- and cites research from -- a Holocaust denier who blames a “Jewish plot” for the 9/11 attacks. Stone's history includes forming an anti-Hillary Clinton group named “C.U.N.T.” during the 2008 election.
Stone worked for Trump's presidential campaign last year and is now organizing against Clinton's campaign again. He is a frequent presence in the media because of his long ties to Trump; their friendship and professional relationship goes back decades.
The Republican consultant had become a favorite guest on the network, appearing on CNN seven times in the last month.
Stone has regularly lobbed sexist and racial attacks against politicians and members of the media, including current and former CNN personalities.
Stone has attacked CNN political commentator Ana Navarro as an “Entitled Diva Bitch,” a “pompous shithead,” “Borderline retarded,” “a rabid Pekinese,” and claimed “Black beans and rice didn't miss her.” He recently tweeted: “Did you hear that noise? That was @ananavarro killing herself #BushToady #Diva #Jerk."
Stone attacked former CNN analyst Roland Martin when he worked for the network, calling him a “stupid negro,” a “fat negro,” “CNN's racist moron--dumb, embarassing, token,” and asked him, “Who made you God, Fattass? Eat somemore Popeye's.”
Stone has referred to both Navarro and Martin as “quota hires” by CNN.
Gawker writer Sam Biddle wrote on February 22 of CNN's treatment of Stone: “There are very few people who can speak about their personal connections to Donald Trump who aren't hideous in some way, but that doesn't mean CNN should keep asking Roger Stone, a bad person, to be a guest.”
Following CNN's decision, Media Matters president Bradley Beychok issued the following statement:
We applaud CNN for taking a stand against Roger Stone -- a notorious 'dirty trickster' with a history of spreading hateful smears and abhorrent rhetoric.
In a campaign season that has been marked with bigoted rhetoric from GOP candidates, it was startling to see that Stone -- a close ally of Donald Trump -- had become a favorite guest in mainstream media.
As Media Matters continues its campaign to highlight the worst of Roger Stone's history, we encourage other networks to follow suit and agree to keep this notoriously controversial figure off of their airwaves moving forward.