'Yeah, it was an eye roll': CNN panelist can't hide disdain for ex-Trump aide's claims

A CNN commentator was unable to hide his disdain for the arguments of a former Donald Trump campaign staffer blaming Democrats for the government shutdown.

The federal government shut down Wednesday after the Republican-led Congress was unable to pass a funding agreement for the new fiscal year, and former Trump campaign official Matt Mowers told "CNN News Central" that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should shoulder the blame for the failure.

"It's on Chuck Schumer rightnow," Mowers said. "Let's not forget that a Republican House passed thiscontinuing resolution. All butone Republican senator voted forthis continuing resolution. Youhave a Republican president whosaid he'd sign the continuingresolution and, not to mentionthe fact, something I thinkdoesn't get discussed a lot, this is essentially the skeletonand same bones of the budgetbill from 2022 that we've barelychanged all that much throughCRS and omnibuses since then."

"The only thingthat's different is the factthat Chuck Schumer, after the March continuing resolution,caught so much flack from thefar left of his base, he'sconcerned about losing a primarynext year or possibly losing theminority leader status thathe's now allowed for thegovernment to shut down to servehis own political ambition," Mowers added.

Mowers argued that Democrats passed essentially the same budget bill when they held congressional majorities and the White House and said Schumer should be politically toxic for refusing to pass this one, and CNN's John Berman noticed the co-panelist, former Democratic congressman for South Carolina Bakari Sellers' reaction to his claims.

"Bakari, I think I saw an eyeroll there," Berman said.

"Yeah, it was an eye roll," Sellers agreed. "Thetalking points were good andthey were coming fast andfurious. But that's just not thefacts.

"A lot of things havechanged since that kind of bare-bones CR. We've seen Republicanstake away health care formillions of individuals, so thatsame [hypothetical] mother that you're talkingabout, who may or may notreceive her WIC [benefits] in a week ortwo, she right now is going tobe deprived of access to healthcare because federal healthcenters are shutting down. Wejust had one here in Columbia, South Carolina, shut down. We'vehad one in Ohio shut downalready, we've already had onein Virginia shut down, becausethe fact that you all rolledback Medicaid and rates and cutsthat should have the American people on edge."

Sellers pointed out the GOP bill would not extend tax credits for Obamacare subsidies, which is why Democrats in the Senate would not vote on the measure passed in the House.

"Tens of millions of Americans who are going to gowithout health care because of Republicans and, look, Republicans run the government," he said. "They run the government – fix it.This is what you wanted, fix it.You broke it, you fix it."

- YouTubeyoutu.be