‘#ByeFelicia’: CNN Fires Pro-Trump Commentator Jeffrey Lord Over Nazi Reference and the Internet Goes Wild
‘Nazi Salutes Are Indefensible’ CNN Says
People on social media right now are cheering after news broke that CNN has just severed ties with Jeffrey Lord, a pro-Trump commentator employed by the cable news network for several years. He has been accused of defending absolutely everything that Trump has ever done, but it was Lord’s own actions that led the network to finally fire him.
Lord, in a Twitter attack on well-known Media Matters head Angelo Carusone, posted a tweet that read, simply, “Sieg Heil!”
In a post at the far right wing website The American Spectator, Lord attacked Carusone and Media Matters, a liberal media watchdog organization.
“Media Matters Fascists, the anti-free speech bigots who, in typical fascist style, make it their mission to shut down speech they don’t like…” Lord wrote.
That was the mid-way point of a Twitter war that began Wednesday, with this:
Hey Jeff. Article is bullshit and filled with lies. Soros gave us one donation one time…in 2010.
Why are you lying to your readers?
— Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) August 9, 2017
It finally ended Thursday afternoon, with this:
Sieg Heil!
— Jeff Lord (@realJeffreyLord) August 10, 2017
Within hours, Lord was terminated over the Nazi reference.
CNN’s Brian Stelter, in an article reporting the news of Lord’s firing, delivered what sounds more like a tribute to the much despised far right wing pundit, and a promise to the right that CNN is not abandoning them. All of which is disturbing.Â
An excerpt:
CNN severed ties with Jeffrey Lord on Thursday, hours after he ignited controversy by tweeting the words “Sieg Heil!” at a prominent liberal activist.
“Nazi salutes are indefensible,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement. “Jeffrey Lord is no longer with the network.”
Lord was not immediately reachable for comment. Earlier in the day, he defended his tweet by saying he was “mocking a fascist.”
Lord, a former Reagan administration staffer, had been one of CNN’s best-known commentators. He was the first explicitly pro-Donald Trump commentator to join the network, back in August 2015, two months after Trump entered the GOP primary race. At the time Lord was a counterweight to CNN’s other conservative commentators, who were all dismissive of Trump’s candidacy.
Other pro-Trump voices joined the network later. CNN now has about a dozen commentators who tend to support the president’s views.
Here’s a stunning tidbit on how Lord got his CNN gig:
How the Jeffrey Lord experience started: CNN took requests from Trump himself on who they should hire https://t.co/WDlXxjcVC6 pic.twitter.com/KJce89n59G
— John Whitehouse (@existentialfish) August 10, 2017
Media Matters wasted no time celebrating:
CNN has finally cut ties with Jeffrey Lord — Here is some of the insightful commentary they were paying him for: pic.twitter.com/wjzcN59voM
— Media Matters (@mmfa) August 10, 2017
It seems we can all breathe easy:
Per a Fox News spokeswoman, they are not hiring Jeffrey Lord. MSNBC/NBC spokesman has confirmed that they aren’t hiring Lord either. https://t.co/siU3wfFqy1
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) August 10, 2017
Meanwhile, here’s how people on social media responded:
Keith Olbermann:
Adios @realJeffreyLord. Fired by CNN. #ByeFelicia https://t.co/JSVeE8LuD7
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 10, 2017
HuffPost Editor in Chief:
The line you can’t cross at CNN: straight up Nazi slogans. Good to know.
— Lydia Polgreen (@lpolgreen) August 10, 2017
Actor Zach Braff:
That feeling when Jeffrey Lord gets fired: pic.twitter.com/uSTL59NsiW
— Zach Braff (@zachbraff) August 10, 2017
More:
CNN should be ashamed at how long they kept Jeffrey Lord on the air in the first place. Shameful.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) August 10, 2017
Finally!!! https://t.co/I6y8U6833d
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) August 10, 2017
CNN just fired Jeffrey Lord, but he has a good shot at being the White House Communications Director for the next 10 days.
— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) August 10, 2017
GOOD RIDDANCE, JEFFREY LORD. We commend @CNN for firing @POTUS defender Lord for using Nazi salute on Twitter. Our full statement: pic.twitter.com/jmzHJamd35
— Anne Frank Center (@AnneFrankCenter) August 10, 2017
I would like to personally thank @CNN for removing that filth from your network. Jeffrey Lord was both useless & repugnant. https://t.co/aE1sitxQWX
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) August 10, 2017
Ah, Jeffrey Lord, we knew you way way way too much.
— ((((Peter Sagal)))) (@petersagal) August 10, 2017
Good Riddance Jeffrey Lord!! Thank you @CNN about 8 months overdue.
— Pacavelli tha Don ✠(@ProdigalSonWon) August 10, 2017
The air at CNN just got a lot fresher: Jeffrey Lord was fired.
— Harold Itzkowitz (@HaroldItz) August 10, 2017
To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.Â
Â
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.