Kiddo': GOP Rep. Walsh Gets in Heated Argument With CNN Host While Defending 'Heroes' Remarks

There were some late fireworks on the CNN set on Thursday after CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield got into a heated argument with GOP Rep. Joe Walsh over comments he made about his opponent's military service.

You may remember earlier this week that Walsh was scrutinized for saying that "true heroes" don't talk incessantly about their military service, and his opponent (a double-amputee veteran) won't stop. Walsh appeared on CNN to defend the remarks, and things took a contentious turn when Banfield pressured him to explain himself. In fact, Walsh even at one point referred to Banfield as "kiddo."

Politico has the blow-by-blow:

Banfield began Thursday’s interview by asking Walsh whether he regrets his recent comments.

“Oh God no, Ashleigh,” Walsh said. “I’m not going to back down, Ashleigh, from anything.”

“You’re saying this is just a slip-up?” she replied.

“No, no, Ashleigh. No, Ashleigh, this wasn’t a slip-up. I don’t regret anything I said. Understand me. Every man and woman who’s worn the uniform is a hero in my book. I’ve said that thousands of times. I’ve called Tammy Duckworth a hero hundreds of times.”

Soon enough, Walsh and Banfield were speaking over each other in a messy exchange.

“No, Ashleigh, Ashleigh, Ashleigh, Ashleigh, Ashleigh,” Walsh said at one point, trying to get a word in.

“It is not respectful for you to say, ‘Now I’m running against a woman who, my God, that’s all she talks about,” the CNN host shot back, as Walsh continued to blurt out her first name. “Let me finish, sir,” she continued. “She comes from a military family, she did lose both of her legs fighting in Iraq.”

The congressman accused Banfield of repeating Duckworth’s “talking points,” and minutes into the heated back-and-forth told Banfield: “Look, Ashleigh, I’m not going to sit here if you don’t let me talk, kiddo.”

Walsh also explained that because his opponent Tammy Duckworth is a war hero she "demands our respect but that doesn't demand our vote."

Here's a more complete version of the interview to evaluate yourself: