'C'mon': CNN's Jim Acosta confronts MAGA lawmaker in 'testy' interview

CNN host Jim Acosta and Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) battled it out on the network on Wednesday.

Burchett, an ally to Donald Trump, appeared on the network. Acosta raised the issue of Matt Gaetz and questioned whether Trump had a mandate that encompassed controversial picks.

"The polls showed Americans primarily voted for Trump to fix inflation and the economy. Did the American people vote for people like Matt Gaetz to be the attorney general, or a vaccine conspiracy theorist like RFK Jr. to be in public health roles?" Acosta asked. "Isn't that overreach?"

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"No. Nobody would take the fight to the corrupted Justice Department that's been weaponized against Americans like Matt Gaetz. Everybody knows that," Burchett said. "And if the Justice Department had anything on Matt Gaetz, they would have brought charges. But instead they chose to throw them out."

Acosta responded, saying, "It's a holiday week. I don't want to, you know, I don't want to get too testy before we all eat some turkey."

"But Matt Gaetz, for attorney general, you were in favor of that?" the host asked.

"Absolutely," Burchett replied. "I thought he would have been an excellent choice. Nobody is hated by our Justice Department more than Matt Gaetz, and for good reason. He understands that it's not just the head person there. It's the second and third tier level people."

The GOP lawmaker further claimed the Justice Department was "weaponized against Americans," saying, "If a mom and dad went to a school board meeting, they were labeled as domestic terrorists by our current Justice Department."

The host replied, "Congressman, congressman come on."

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