Megyn Kelly reveals how CNN's treatment of Vivek Ramaswamy at town hall backfires: 'Shut the eff up'

Megyn Kelly explained on Thursday how CNN's aggressive moderation in a town hall with Vivek Ramaswamy may ultimately backfire on the legacy media.

On Wednesday, Ramaswamy participated in a CNN-hosted town hall in Iowa. Throughout the hour-long affair, CNN anchor Abby Phillip repeatedly interrupted Ramaswamy, talking over him and trying to fact-check him in real time. Often, it appeared that Phillip was trying to debate Ramaswamy — not give him the opportunity to speak directly to voters, which is the purpose of a town hall.

The veracity of Ramaswamy's beliefs notwithstanding, Kelly said that Phillip repeatedly interrupting Ramaswamy only makes him more likable.

"I realize that Vivek is having a really fun time spinning a bunch of yarns about everyone's favorite conspiracies ... that's for his voters and everybody else to pass judgment on," Kelly began.

"But here is what's so annoying," she continued. "That Abby Phillip is annoying. She is such an interrupter. Like shut the eff up. Let him make his point. If you want to fact-check him later, then do. Shut up, though! CNN has got an aversion to letting the words come out of the candidates' mouths."

"Even if you don't agree with what he's saying, you invited him! Let him say it!" Kelly exclaimed.

By repeatedly interrupting Ramaswamy, Kelly said CNN was providing voters a "disservice." But it's worse than that, she added. The interruptions made Kelly feel as though CNN was intentionally trying to "censor" him.

"I, too, am leaning in. The more she’s trying to censor what he's saying, I'm like, 'What's he saying? Why is she so averse to it?' ... Let him finish. You invited him there. Let him make his damn point," she said.

Kelly later joked that she's "ready to vote for [Ramaswamy] just because" of how CNN treated him.

The SiriusXM radio host, who moderated a Republican primary debate last week, raises an interesting question: What is the job of a moderator? To host or to play interlocutor? To protect an audience from alleged misinformation or to let candidates to speak for themselves and to allow voters decide for themselves?

After all, is any journalist capable of fact-checking accurately in real time? And more importantly: Is a town hall moderator the gatekeeper of truth?

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