Republican Guest Calls Out CNN Host for 'Naked Bias' When He's Asked This Question

During an interview on CNN Tuesday, Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a campaign surrogate for Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, called out host John Berman for showing a "bias" that is "naked to everyone watching."

The discussion began when Berman's CNN co-host Kate Boldaun asked Cuccinelli about accusations of "lying, stealing and bribing" delegates from a supporter of GOP rival Donald Trump.

Image source: CNN

"How about these three words: "Lying, stealing, and bribing?" Boldaun asked. "That is what we heard at the top of our show from Trump campaign — from the Trump campaign, Tana Goertz, she says she's seen bribing firsthand on the part of the Cruz campaign in trying to win over delegates. What do you say?"

In response, Cuccinelli said he is calling "foul" and "B.S.," noting that he has failed to hear any such examples from Republican strategist Paul Manafort, who Trump has hired to lead his campaign's delegate operation.

"Their gestapo tactics include Donald Trump calling for violence in the streets, their team threatening intimidation of delegates at their hotel rooms, releasing their hotel rooms, death threats to the Colorado GOP chair, threats of frivolous lawsuits from Manafort against individual delegates," Cuccinelli told Berman, "so they are doing these tactics while accusing others of doing them. We're just building a grassroots campaign ... and it's how we're winning."

But that answer did not satisfy the Berman, who pressed the former state attorney general on the issue.

"You just ask people nicely to line up and support Ted Cruz?" Berman asked sarcastically. "Come on, you're — the reason that they have you doing this is because you're good at lining up delegates. How are you twisting arms? I'm not saying there's anything illegal, but there's got to be, you know, some art to convincing these delegates to line up like this."

At that point, Cuccinelli slammed Berman for his "bias."

"Look, when you ask a question that way, your bias is naked to everyone watching," he said. "So let's get down to facts instead of your bias."

Berman replied, "No, I'm just saying you're playing the game well."

"Well, okay, I appreciate that — that's not how you phrased your question," Cuccinelli told Berman. "We are asking people nicely. You know what the goodies we're promising people are? They can have their Constitution back. And they can have economic growth and a plan to actually execute it. And a candidate who can go head to head and defend it."

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