CNN’s Burnett: White House Seems to Think the U.S. Is ‘A Military Dictatorship’

On Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” anchor Erin Burnett stated the White House seems to think that the United States is a “military dictatorship,” in response to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ statement that it is “inappropriate” to get into a debate with Chief of Staff General John Kelly.

Burnett said, “A military dictatorship, that appears to be what the White House thinks the United States is. Today, when pressed about false statements made by Chief of Staff General John Kelly about Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-FL), White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said it’s ‘inappropriate’ to question a four-star general.”

Burnett added, “It is appropriate to question the general. It was when we questioned him last night, and it still is tonight. Questioning is fair. But Kelly’s own boss, the man he’s trying to defend in this whole controversy over a call to the family of a soldier killed in the Niger ambush? President Trump has no problem insulting, let alone questioning four-star generals.” She then cited Trump’s tweets about Generals John Allen and Colin Powell.

Burnett continued by saying that Kelly’s account of Wilson’s conduct at a dedication of an FBI building was “wrong on multiple specifics. In the two minutes he went on about this story, Kelly even got the name of one of the fallen agents wrong, despite his outrage on their behalf. We do have the tape, and we’re going to show you what Kelly said that didn’t happen in just a moment. There’s also the reality that again, Kelly is calling out a congressman for doing what his own boss did.”

She then played a clip from Trump in 2016 answering a question on what sacrifices he’s made for his country by saying, “I was very responsible, along with a group of people, for getting the Vietnam Memorial built in downtown Manhattan. Which, to this day, people thank me for.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett