CNN panelists ganged up on a conservative commentator for defending President Donald Trump's proposal to require federal workers to sign nondisclosure agreements.
The Office of Personnel Management posted a draft notice of the unprecedented order, which the administration claims is necessary to prevent “unauthorized disclosures” to the media, and anti-trans crusader Terry Schilling argued the move was both necessary and routine.
"Look, no one has been betrayed or backstabbed or maligned and lied about more than President Trump," Schilling said. "I think that's undeniable."
Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright, who had been bouncing impatiently in his seat and smirking, was unable to contain himself any further.
"Come on," he said in response to Schilling's claims.
"Okay, the 'Russia, Russia, Russia' collusion hoax turned out to be a total hoax," Schilling insisted, as Seawright stared deadpan at the camera. "It was totally exaggerated, and it was all based on lies. We want to avoid things that are distractions. We want to avoid the noise and get back to the signal."
"There are already laws that protect whistleblowers, right?" Schilling added. "So it's important that we protect the security of the United States. This is all coming in light of the new ballroom, by the way, which needs to have NDAs around it. It's a security measure for the White House. You can't know everything about the White House and its designs for it."
"CNN This Morning" host Audie Cornish stepped in and busted Schilling's chops a bit.
"No, I like this," she teased. "You have 100 percent trust in the government at all times."
Schilling insisted he didn't, which caused Cornish to burst into laughter, and she listed all the inspectors general – who handle whistleblower complaints – that Trump has pushed out before turning to a visibly restless Seawright.
"Loyalty is a top requirement to work in and around Donald Trump," Seawright said, and Schilling said that was true in any administration. "That's not true. Secondly, I would just add, it's clear that they are actively pursuing aggressively state-run media because any story or any reports contrary or anti-Trump, it becomes problematic, and so they're trying to suffocate and silent voices within government who want to reveal the truth."
Schilling interjected to argue that NDAs were necessary to prevent liars from fabricating negative stories about the Trump administration, and Seawright pushed back.
"How would you feel if this was Joe Biden?" Seawright said, and Schilling insisted that frequently happened during his presidency. "When did the when did the Biden-Harris administration implement NDA signings or attempt to? In the four years that Joe Biden was president, you just tell me when, and I will agree with you."
Schilling assured him that happened "a lot," and Seawright pounced.
"You never answered my question," Seawright said. "Because when did it happen?"
CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein took a whack next.
"There were tons of leaks under the Trump administration, that's why this is happening," Brownstein said. "It didn't really happen under the Biden administration. I mean, this this this is a distillation of his view of the federal government. This is the distillation of his view that it is his it is the extension of his personal will. It has no independent statutory or constitutional obligations to the public."
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