CNN’s Clarissa Ward: Trump’s Attack on CNN International ‘Emboldens’ Hostile Foreign Governments

RUSH TRANSCRIPT BALDWIN President ░░░░░░░░ took to Twitter again ░░░░░░░░ weekend to attack CNN ░░░░░░░░ quote fox News is ░░░░░░░░ more important in the ░░░░░░░░ States than CNN but ░░░░░░░░ of the U S ░░░░░░░░ international is still a ░░░░░░░░ source of parenthesis fake ░░░░░░░░ and they represent our ░░░░░░░░ to the world very ░░░░░░░░ The outside world does ░░░░░░░░ see the truth in ░░░░░░░░ CNN s defense of ░░░░░░░░ Mr President it is ░░░░░░░░ our job here at ░░░░░░░░ to represent the U ░░░░░░░░ To the world It ░░░░░░░░ yours Our job is ░░░░░░░░ bring our viewers the ░░░░░░░░ and we are unfaltering ░░░░░░░░ our mission Even former ░░░░░░░░ and NSA director Michael ░░░░░░░░ jumped in to the ░░░░░░░░ of the free press ░░░░░░░░ this quote if this ░░░░░░░░ who we are or ░░░░░░░░ we are becoming I ░░░░░░░░ wasted 40 years of ░░░░░░░░ life Until now it ░░░░░░░░ not possible for me ░░░░░░░░ conceive of an American ░░░░░░░░ capable of such an ░░░░░░░░ assault on truth a ░░░░░░░░ press or the first ░░░░░░░░ Let me bring in ░░░░░░░░ of my colleagues and ░░░░░░░░ of CNN s most ░░░░░░░░ international correspondent Ben Wedeman ░░░░░░░░ reporter who has been ░░░░░░░░ CNN 23 years much ░░░░░░░░ that time spent in ░░░░░░░░ Zones and Clarissa ward ░░░░░░░░ has spent the past ░░░░░░░░ reporting from the front ░░░░░░░░ including Syria Iraq and ░░░░░░░░ Both of them have ░░░░░░░░ multiple global awards for ░░░░░░░░ reporting So thank you ░░░░░░░░ so much for coming ░░░░░░░░ any Ben Wedeman we ░░░░░░░░ throw up the tweet ░░░░░░░░ your picture of your ░░░░░░░░ head from when you ░░░░░░░░ in Jerusalem a couple ░░░░░░░░ years ago and you ░░░░░░░░ at CNN international we ░░░░░░░░ blood to bring you ░░░░░░░░ news Nothing fake about ░░░░░░░░ Tell me about your ░░░░░░░░ WEDEMAN Well I don ░░░░░░░░ want to be disrespectful ░░░░░░░░ the president of the ░░░░░░░░ States and this was ░░░░░░░░ meant as a diss ░░░░░░░░ him but I wanted ░░░░░░░░ make the point that ░░░░░░░░ our jobs we run ░░░░░░░░ The picture you just ░░░░░░░░ was me after being ░░░░░░░░ in the head with ░░░░░░░░ rubber bullet in the ░░░░░░░░ of 2014 but back ░░░░░░░░ 2000 I was shot ░░░░░░░░ the back in the ░░░░░░░░ strip the bullet entered ░░░░░░░░ left in two places ░░░░░░░░ the front of me ░░░░░░░░ was in hospital for ░░░░░░░░ Four years after that ░░░░░░░░ was in the gaza ░░░░░░░░ with my camerawoman Mary ░░░░░░░░ and we were stopped ░░░░░░░░ gunmen who kidnapped our ░░░░░░░░ riad Ali and held ░░░░░░░░ for 24 hours during ░░░░░░░░ they subjected him to ░░░░░░░░ execution This was not ░░░░░░░░ easy job This is ░░░░░░░░ dangerous job I don ░░░░░░░░ do it for the ░░░░░░░░ I do it because ░░░░░░░░ believe in the importance ░░░░░░░░ the work and I ░░░░░░░░ the president to understand ░░░░░░░░ and on the question ░░░░░░░░ Fox News I have ░░░░░░░░ at Fox News In ░░░░░░░░ field we are friends ░░░░░░░░ cooperate together We share ░░░░░░░░ We look out for ░░░░░░░░ another We do not ░░░░░░░░ to be divided and ░░░░░░░░ I said and for ░░░░░░░░ I have friends at ░░░░░░░░ here in Cairo one ░░░░░░░░ them Greg peltcoat was ░░░░░░░░ up by Egyptian thugs ░░░░░░░░ the revolution We tried ░░░░░░░░ help one another and ░░░░░░░░ sympathize with one another ░░░░░░░░ there s no anger ░░░░░░░░ hatred among them and ░░░░░░░░ would beg President Trump ░░░░░░░░ understand just how dangerous ░░░░░░░░ job is and how ░░░░░░░░ out here in the ░░░░░░░░ fox CNN we are ░░░░░░░░ enemies We will not ░░░░░░░░ divided We are friends ░░░░░░░░ to just understand that ░░░░░░░░ is a dangerous job ░░░░░░░░ s not one we ░░░░░░░░ lightly Brooke BALDWIN You ░░░░░░░░ know in all your ░░░░░░░░ and Clarissa Ward just ░░░░░░░░ question to you You ░░░░░░░░ the president s tweet ░░░░░░░░ weekend How did it ░░░░░░░░ you feel WARD Brooke ░░░░░░░░ real concern in all ░░░░░░░░ this is that it ░░░░░░░░ people in different parts ░░░░░░░░ the world who may ░░░░░░░░ hostile to the west ░░░░░░░░ may be hostile toward ░░░░░░░░ journalists because it sends ░░░░░░░░ message very clearly that ░░░░░░░░ our own president is ░░░░░░░░ and publicly disparaging us ░░░░░░░░ s open season on ░░░░░░░░ and it s OK ░░░░░░░░ come out and say ░░░░░░░░ we re a joke ░░░░░░░░ problem is what might ░░░░░░░░ funny as a joke ░░░░░░░░ the U S is ░░░░░░░░ life threatening when you ░░░░░░░░ out in the field ░░░░░░░░ other thing I found ░░░░░░░░ of frustrating is most ░░░░░░░░ us the vast majority ░░░░░░░░ us who are covering ░░░░░░░░ news are not covering ░░░░░░░░ day to day minutia ░░░░░░░░ U S politics We ░░░░░░░░ not covering the Trump ░░░░░░░░ House beyond covering what ░░░░░░░░ world s response to ░░░░░░░░ Trump White House has ░░░░░░░░ For the most part ░░░░░░░░ are focused on covering ░░░░░░░░ and famines and natural ░░░░░░░░ and genocides and issues ░░░░░░░░ the world that frankly ░░░░░░░░ no business entering this ░░░░░░░░ of petty partisan arena ░░░░░░░░ for a number of ░░░░░░░░ it s obviously disheartening ░░░░░░░░ of the kind of ░░░░░░░░ we do but I ░░░░░░░░ also think there is ░░░░░░░░ significant elevation of the ░░░░░░░░ to journalists particularly American ░░░░░░░░ when you have the ░░░░░░░░ of the United States ░░░░░░░░ America coming out and ░░░░░░░░ that it is essentially ░░░░░░░░ to disparage and mock ░░░░░░░░ within an institution like ░░░░░░░░ International Brooke BALDWIN Ben ░░░░░░░░ are you worried that ░░░░░░░░ sends a this message ░░░░░░░░ people around the world ░░░░░░░░ it s open season ░░░░░░░░ journalists and B the ░░░░░░░░ from here you have ░░░░░░░░ leader of the free ░░░░░░░░ trying to silence the ░░░░░░░░ I m wondering too ░░░░░░░░ message that sends to ░░░░░░░░ leaders and other to ░░░░░░░░ around the world WEDEMAN ░░░░░░░░ s the problem Brooke ░░░░░░░░ work in the Middle ░░░░░░░░ where we sometimes are ░░░░░░░░ very hostile environments in ░░░░░░░░ where the regime is ░░░░░░░░ where oftentimes people are ░░░░░░░░ out to do us ░░░░░░░░ or to threaten us ░░░░░░░░ in the past I ░░░░░░░░ they were always hesitant ░░░░░░░░ unleash some of the ░░░░░░░░ force they had behind ░░░░░░░░ because they knew that ░░░░░░░░ power of the United ░░░░░░░░ was behind us that ░░░░░░░░ president of the united ░░░░░░░░ supported the American media ░░░░░░░░ of whether we were ░░░░░░░░ or not Now it ░░░░░░░░ to be conditional that ░░░░░░░░ we report in a ░░░░░░░░ that the president of ░░░░░░░░ united States does not ░░░░░░░░ he doesn t have ░░░░░░░░ back and I ve ░░░░░░░░ in situations where we ░░░░░░░░ help I referred to ░░░░░░░░ kidnapping in gaza When ░░░░░░░░ happened the united States ░░░░░░░░ in tel aviv jumped ░░░░░░░░ action and did what ░░░░░░░░ could to help us ░░░░░░░░ we were in gaza ░░░░░░░░ people feel compelled to ░░░░░░░░ us when they think ░░░░░░░░ the president of the ░░░░░░░░ States has no regard ░░░░░░░░ CNN international I worry ░░░░░░░░ that BALDWIN I can ░░░░░░░░ even believe we re ░░░░░░░░ the conversation and you ░░░░░░░░ making the point that ░░░░░░░░ are but we have ░░░░░░░░ Clarissa the other thing ░░░░░░░░ the timing of all ░░░░░░░░ this right You know ░░░░░░░░ cover a lot of ░░░░░░░░ Right after the Russian ░░░░░░░░ Vladimir Putin just signed ░░░░░░░░ law aimed at foreign ░░░░░░░░ that the president decides ░░░░░░░░ take to Twitter and ░░░░░░░░ this this week Essentially ░░░░░░░░ law says that the ░░░░░░░░ government can designate foreign ░░░░░░░░ companies like CNN as ░░░░░░░░ agents and can impose ░░░░░░░░ on them So what ░░░░░░░░ this mean for foreign ░░░░░░░░ like you two in ░░░░░░░░ field WARD Well first ░░░░░░░░ all I would just ░░░░░░░░ with regard to what ░░░░░░░░ are seeing happening in ░░░░░░░░ that s largely a ░░░░░░░░ to the u s ░░░░░░░░ decision to designate Russia ░░░░░░░░ sputnik as foreign agency ░░░░░░░░ should be seen more ░░░░░░░░ less in the context ░░░░░░░░ a geopolitical back and ░░░░░░░░ tit for tat sort ░░░░░░░░ spat Speaking more broadly ░░░░░░░░ is concerning when the ░░░░░░░░ talks about potentially putting ░░░░░░░░ on an institution like ░░░░░░░░ which has been doing ░░░░░░░░ and fair reporting across ░░░░░░░░ world for many decades ░░░░░░░░ It is very disturbing ░░░░░░░░ think that as Ben ░░░░░░░░ that the white House ░░░░░░░░ would not have your ░░░░░░░░ that the president of ░░░░░░░░ United States would potentially ░░░░░░░░ intercede on your behalf ░░░░░░░░ let s be clear ░░░░░░░░ this there has always ░░░░░░░░ tension between the white ░░░░░░░░ between politicians and between ░░░░░░░░ in power and a ░░░░░░░░ and open and fair ░░░░░░░░ That tension has existed ░░░░░░░░ a long time but ░░░░░░░░ think everybody has always ░░░░░░░░ the value of having ░░░░░░░░ institution and for that ░░░░░░░░ people have been able ░░░░░░░░ bite their tongues and ░░░░░░░░ on with their business ░░░░░░░░ is exactly what we ░░░░░░░░ CNN internationally would love ░░░░░░░░ be doing Brooke BALDWIN ░░░░░░░░ have tremendous respect for ░░░░░░░░ of you Clarissa and ░░░░░░░░ thank you both We ░░░░░░░░ doing our jobs Thank ░░░░░░░░