Statement by Angelo Carusone after CNN parts ways with Ed Martin

Jeffrey Lord's replacement Ed Martin reportedly fired by CNN

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published


Sarah Wasko / Media Matters

Media Matters President Angelo Carusone released the following statement after The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Ed Martin is out as a CNN contributor:

When CNN fired Jeffrey Lord after he tweeted a Nazi victory salute at me last summer, we strongly encouraged CNN to do away with hiring dedicated pro-Trump surrogates. They didn’t though and replaced Lord with Ed Martin.

Martin followed the same pattern of previous pro-Trump surrogates: dishonesty and disruptions during on-air discussions. Glad to see him go. Hopefully now CNN will finally recognize that they’ll better serve their audience by hiring an inclusive group of honest brokers representing a wide range of perspectives rather than someone dedicated to defending one person, Donald Trump, no matter what.

Earlier in the day, Media Matters noted that Martin had not appeared on CNN programming since December, 14, when Martin attacked fellow CNN commentators as “black racists.” Media Matters was first to expose and has been cataloguing Martin’s track record:

  • Before being hired by CNN, Martin called CNN “fake news” and called for people to stop watching the network. Martin’s appearances on CNN before getting hired included Martin saying that Trump cannot be racist because Martin saw Trump “hugging and speaking with and kissing a baby, and they happen to be black.” Martin had also praised conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for doing “valuable” work in fighting the “globalists.”(Media Matters, 9/27/17)

  • Martin co-authored The Conservative Case For Trump. The book argued that non-European immigrants cannot have American values. Specifically, the book argued that immigrants from “Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East” were tearing apart “our nation’s heritage and social fabric.” (Media Matters, 10/27/17)

  • Martin called for a total end to immigration on air, saying “Stop all immigration right now.” (Media Matters, 11/2/17)

  • Martin said that Roy Moore accuser Leigh Corfman should not be be believed, saying “What is this woman? She’s got multiple bankruptcies." (11/11/17) Martin endorsed and tried to get Moore elected even as CNN was doing great reporting on him. (Media Matters, 11/7/17)

  • Martin said that Trump’s racist remarks about LaVar Ball could not be a “racial thing” because Trump also attacked Sen. Jeff Flake. (Media Matters, 11/20/17)

  • Martin defended Trump’s racist “Pocohontas” comment to World War II navajo code talkers as “100 percent” appropriate. (Media Matters, 11/27/17)

  • Martin contended that Trump’s racist anti-Muslim tweets were actually helpful because they were “starting a conversation.” (Media Matters, 11/30/17)

  • Martin defended Roy Moore’s nostalgia for the days of slavery by pointing out that Jewish slaves had families. (Media Matters, 12/11/17)

  • Martin called fellow CNN employees and co-panelists “black racists.” (Media Matters, 12/14/17)

  • Martin praised Donald Trump for ordering CNN’s chief White House correspondent out of the oval office, saying it was “amazing to see” and “really funny.” (Media Matters, 1/18/2018)

  • Martin was scheduled to give an award to disgraced conservative operate James O’Keefe, who numerous occasions run deceitful stings against CNN. O’Keefe once attempted to lure then-CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau onto a boat full of sex paraphernalia. (Media Matters, 1/17/18)