CNN has rejected claims that it barred White House chief of staff Stephen Miller from appearing on its airwaves, asserting they simply declined his request to engage with any of their hosts on various topics.
Miller, who recently spoke on Fox News’ “Hannity,” stated that the communication team from the White House had reached out to CNN, but the network refused to book him for any discussions. He mentioned that the White House expressed Miller’s willingness to talk about any subject, highlighting that, according to him, he had no scheduling issues.
“The White House confirmed that Stephen is ready to discuss anything anytime,” Miller explained during his interview with Sean Hannity. “So, you know? CNN’s response was basically, ‘We won’t have him on about anything.'” His comments reflect his typically confrontational manner.
In response to Miller’s assertions, CNN maintained that it is open to hosting individuals from the Trump administration.
“We make editorial choices based on the day’s news needs,” a CNN spokesperson noted in a statement. They added that they were looking forward to having Miller back on air when appropriate.
Miller, who fulfills roles as both deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, expressed a desire to showcase what he calls CNN’s “lies” and criticized the network for continuously airing “fake news.” Meanwhile, President Trump is exploring the sale of CNN as part of a larger transaction involving parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.
“In my opinion, CNN needs to be sold,” Trump stated to reporters Wednesday, suggesting that the current leadership is either corrupt or incompetent. He emphasized the need for surety regarding the future of CNN within any deal.
Recently, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed a deal to sell its streaming and studio branches to Netflix for $72 billion, a transaction that notably excludes cable assets like CNN.
Following the Netflix announcement, Paramount Skydance made a move to acquire the entire Warner Bros. Discovery company, with reported discussions involving CEO David Ellison and Trump administration officials occurring shortly before.
On his show, Hannity made light of missing Miller’s spirited debates with CNN hosts, reminiscing that those were some of the best moments in the show’s history. He noted that those exchanges likely contributed to high ratings.
Miller replied with amusement, indicating that perhaps his clip being aired on CNN was a factor in their reluctance to include him on their programming. Hannity humorously lamented that by airing those clips, he had inadvertently boosted CNN’s ratings, at least in terms of viewer engagement.
It’s worth mentioning that Fox News shares ownership with News Corp, which also publishes The Post.
