Mehdi Hasan, founder and CEO of news outlet Zeteo, erupted during an interview on Monday night after a former Trump advisor defended some of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's most incendiary statements.
Hasan and Ken Cuccinelli, the former Homeland Security acting deputy secretary during the first Trump administration, clashed on a new episode of "Cuomo" on NewsNation.
Cuccinelli argued that Kirk was killed for sharing his ideas, and called on "everyone to reject violence for political ends."
"That's something Charlie Kirk lived and died for," Cuccinelli said. "People who actually watched him interact with people who disagreed with him...Charlie was incredibly level in how he communicated with people. He was firm. But he never got angry; he didn't call people names. He respected them. He told them he respected them."
His comments didn't sit well with Hasan.
"What Ken just said is not true, that Charlie never called for violence or that Charlie was level-headed," Hasan said. "Charlie called for me to be deported because he didn't like a monologue I did about COVID. He called for Joe Biden to be executed by the death penalty. We can go down the list."
Hasan also noted that Trump uses the same rhetoric that conservatives are saying should be avoided.
"This is a president who has called his enemies scum, vermin, and animals," Hasan said.
