Romney surrogate: CNN 'should be embarrassed' for covering birther story

Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, who is now a surrogate for Mitt Romney, on Wednesday blasted CNN host Soledad O'Brien for reporting on the presumptive Republican nominee's link to birthers like billionaire Donald Trump.

Following a weekofranting by Trump about President Barack Obama's citizenship, O'Brien asked Sununu if Romney should have even appeared at a Tuesday fundraiser with the billionaire.

"Why is CNN so fixated on this?" Sununu complained. "It's CNN that wants to bring it up. I don't want to bring it up. Mitt Romney has made it clear -- Mitt Romney has made has clear that he believes that President Obama was born in the U.S. You had Donald Trump on last night. And now you are asking the question this morning. It's CNN's fixation."

"Donald Trump isn't your random supporter," O'Brien noted. "He's a high level big funder. He's talking about millions of dollars he's thinking about donating. You don't think that that's a big deal that person consistently talks about the fact that the president of the United States is not a citizen of the country?"

"The fact is that this country has a jobs problem and supporters of the president like CNN keep wanting to talk about other issues," Sununu charged. "Aren't you embarrassed to be speaking directly from the Obama speaking points that they distributed yesterday? Aren't you embarrassed to sound exactly like the Obama spokesman... You should be embarrassed!"

"So then how come someone doesn't say, Donald Trump is wrong?" O'Brien pressed.

"Donald Trump is wrong," Sununu admitted. "The president is born in the United States."

"That might be the first time," the CNN host observed.

"No, it isn't, ma'am," Sununu shot back. "It's just because you don't read enough that you don't understand."

"There's no need to get into personal attacks," O'Brien chuckled.

Watch this video from CNN's Starting Point, broadcast May 30, 2012.

(h/t: Newsbusters)