A local San Diego TV station claims that CNN contacted their offices yesterday to schedule an interview with one of their reporters on a border wall story, only to spike the interview when they discovered the news station’s previous reporting documenting the success of the border walls and other security measures.
KUSI posted this tweet last night:
Thursday morning, @CNN called the KUSI Newsroom asking if a reporter could give them a local view of the debate surrounding the border wall and government shutdown. After we informed them about our past reports, they declined to hear from us.
More info: https://t.co/RX4mB6EdNE pic.twitter.com/r0SAvWxFIm
— KUSI News (@KUSINews) January 11, 2019
They also posted this statement to their website:
Thursday morning, CNN called the KUSI Newsroom asking if one of our reporters could give them a local view of the debate surrounding the border wall and government shutdown.
KUSI offered our own Dan Plante, who has reported dozens of times on the border, including one story from 2016 that was retweeted by former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, and posted on DrudgeReport.com […]
We believe CNN declined a report from KUSI because we informed them that most Border Patrol Agents we have spoken to told us the barrier does in fact work.
We have continuously been told by Border Patrol Agents that the barrier along the Southern border helps prevent illegal entries, drugs, and weapons from entering the United States, and the numbers prove it.
The White House reposted KUSI’s video segment earlier today:
MUST WATCH: A San Diego news station reports that CNN called them for a local view of the border wall debate. "After we informed them about our past reports, they declined to hear from us." pic.twitter.com/mGYWO6ovgL
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 11, 2019
In its past reporting, KUSI has described the U.S.-Mexico border south of San Diego as “one of the most dangerous places in America.”
That certainly conflicts with much of the dismissive reporting by the establishment news media, who claim that there is no crisis along our southern border.
In August 2016, KUSI published two reports that noted that the “catch-and-release” policies of the Obama administration — where 9 out of 10 illegals captured crossing the border were subsequently released into the U.S. — were effectively undermining all of the other security measures put into place on the border.
In November 2016, KUSI reported on the surge of Syrians who were showing up to claim asylum, with a 600 percent increase over the previous January.
One issue identified by local border officials in that report is that the absence of any prior information on who was showing up at border ports of entry, and some showing up without any identification at all, increased the possibility that bad actors, including foreign terrorists, could easily be let into the country.
Another report from last October interviewed human smuggling “coyotes” on the Mexican side of the border who said that the crackdown ordered by President Trump was hurting their business.
KUSI has regularly reported on the drug trafficking coming across the southern border.
Border Patrol agents arrest man with over 45 pounds of methamphetamine https://t.co/k71JL6jNxO pic.twitter.com/37ZId9mJq4
— KUSI News (@KUSINews) July 15, 2018
CBP seizes nearly $2 million worth of drugs in 24 hours at Southern California border crossings https://t.co/tZacJ0xVvb pic.twitter.com/VoyKyXxg5h
— KUSI News (@KUSINews) October 16, 2017
$1.7 million worth of narcotics seized in two separate vehicle stops by Border Patrol Agents https://t.co/i6qDRu3Ggn#KUSINews pic.twitter.com/xaU1zoVU6U
— KUSI News (@KUSINews) July 1, 2017
In response to the criticism that they had spiked the interview with KUSI, CNN officials said they cancel interviews all the time, and that they had previously interviewed a KUSI reporter back in November.
2/2 CNN statement to me on KUSI (San Diego) claim: "…That happens many times every single day. We did, however, book a reporter from KUSI for a story on immigration and the border wall on CNN in November. This is a non story."
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) January 11, 2019
CNN is still stinging from White House reporter Jim Acosta getting beclowned during his coverage at the border during President Trump’s tour yesterday:
Jim Acosta just posted one of the biggest self owns ever.
He's walking along the border where there's a wall in place talking about how there's nothing that "resembles a national emergency situation" and "there's no migrants trying to rush."
That's because there's a wall, Jim. https://t.co/qkuWRhxolW
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) January 10, 2019
Which led to widespread mocking of Acosta and CNN, even from the White House:
Dear Diary… https://t.co/NAuMaQW6fl
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2019
When I went with President @realDonaldTrump to the border today I never imagined @Acosta would be there doing our job for us and so clearly explaining why WALLS WORK. Thanks Jim! https://t.co/7wC4rdEsZ2
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) January 10, 2019
And the head of Trump’s presidential campaign:
I would like to thank @Acosta for pointing out how peaceful, safe and secure it is at a part of the border that HAS a wall. #RealNews #BuildTheWall https://t.co/bkssL9nOW3
— Brad Parscale – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@parscale) January 10, 2019
But given KUSI’s past reporting, it is certainly no surprise that amidst its coverage of President Trump at the southern border yesterday, CNN just couldn’t find the time to interview local media that might incidentally support the president’s case for securing the border.
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