CNN White House correspondent April Ryan cast a jaundiced eye on former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's cameo appearance at the Emmy's Sunday night, saying he has become a pitiable character.
Spicer was invited onto the awards show at the behest of host Stephen Colbert after he was memorably mocked by Emmy-winner Melissa McCarthy on Saturday Night Live, but Ryan failed to see the humor in the ex-White house aide's star turn.
Appearing on a panel moderated by CNN host Brooke Baldwin, Ryan -- who battled with Spicer during his White House days -- had a few things to say.
"April Ryan, you're in the White House Press Corps, you asked many a question of Sean Spicer -- did you find that funny?" host Baldwin asked.
"No, not at all," Ryan replied. "I actually felt sorry for Sean last night. I couldn't believe it when I saw it."
"Let me explain why," she continued. "Sean has left the White House and we've heard many television networks say they're not going to hire him as a contributor. Sean is viewed as someone who lied. Sean told everyone there's fake news, and now he's going to get a job and they're not hiring him, so it looks like they're trying to re-brand him, change his image. But there's a lot of healing that needs to take place or redemption that needs to happen on his part."
"You know, that's the highest office in the land," she explained, "and when you purposefully go out and change the facts or support something that's not true, people's lives are on the line every day and those issues about those lives are in that building. And to lie is something deep and not to be joked about. "
"Last night, Colbert kept jabbing at him, he even called him after he left the stage called him the 'wizard of lies.' He was used as the butt of the joke. He -- I don't know. It just fell on deaf ears, and I was -- I felt bad for him last night."
Watch the video below via CNN: