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GOP Senator Blisters CNN Reporter To Her Face: ‘You Know Better Than That’

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy tore into CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins on Thursday morning when the two got into a heated debate over President Joe Biden’s stance on Social Security.

During an interview on “CNN This Morning” from Capitol Hill, the Republican senator hit back at Collins by slamming Biden’s unwillingness to work with Republicans to save Social Security. The Republican senator scoffed when Collins attempted to defend the president and told her she was “better than that.”

Things heated up after Collins mentioned the Silicon Valley Bank collapse and brought up Social Security. Cassidy told the anchor that “the Social Security trust fund is going broke in nine years” and then hammered Biden by saying, “The president knows that he keeps telling the American people it’s no problem. He has not told us what he wants to do.”

Cassidy then slammed his fists together in frustration and declared: “It is going broke in nine years. At that point, there’ll be a 25% cut, and when someone who is depending on Social Security – a 25% in what they’re getting, and the president doesn’t seem to care!”

Collins replied, saying, “The White House would push back on that, I should say.”

Cassidy swiftly fired back: “How? What is their plan? He has not announced a plan!”

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“Now, how do they protect it? Because yesterday she was asked in committee, and she could not give an answer about their plan,” Cassidy added when Collins claimed the Biden administration has promised to “protect” Social Security.

The CNN anchor noted, “I don’t work for the White House” and reiterated she simply heard from the White House that there was a plan to make Social Security “solvent after the next decade.”

“They’ve not presented a plan,” Cassidy said while gritting his teeth. “The president’s willing to let this go bankrupt because he doesn’t want to talk about it before his re-election. It is irresponsible, it is foolish, and it is wrong for the American people.”

Cassidy scoffed at the idea, saying, “Well of course, because that’s what they have to retreat to.” Collins pointed out the Scott is Cassidy’s colleague, to which the senator resorted to mocking the argument. He added, “Oh yeah and there’s a Democrat who said something kinda stupid too. And so we’re going to take one person as a reason not to engage when the average beneficiary will see a 25% cut.”

Collins persisted, saying, “But he’s not just an average Senator,” a line which made Cassidy visibly exasperated. He chided her, saying, “Oh c’mon, Kaitlin, you know better than that. It’s one senator saying that the president gloms onto because he doesn’t want to actually come up with a plan.”

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Collins, for her part, has also been dealing with a scandal after her “CNN This Morning” co-host Don Lemon shouted out her.

Late last month, Lemon survived calls to have him fired after he made some sexist remarks about GOP presidential contender Nikki Haley and engaged in an off-camera rant against co-host Kaitlin Collins, according to reports.

CNN executives allowed him back on the air in the mornings with Collins and fellow co-host Poppy Harlow after he received “formal training” for sexism, The First TV reported.

Lemon criticized Haley for endorsing “mandatory mental competency tests” for politicians who are 75 years or older, suggesting that Haley was no longer in her “prime.” Lemon referenced “Google” to support his contention that Haley, who is 51 years old, will face a difficult challenge in winning the presidency, as women are only considered to be in their prime during their “20s, 30s, and 40s.”

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The report said that Harlow left the set “furious” for a bathroom break and was followed by Collins.

Lemon took to Twitter later Thursday to tweet an apology: “The reference I made to a woman’s ‘prime’ this morning was inartful and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I regret it. A woman’s age doesn’t define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.”

Reports earlier in February noted that Lemon rattled Collins as well as the crew following an off-camera confrontation with her. Reports said he “screamed” at her for allegedly interrupting him on the air.

According to a separate report by the New York Post, several sources said that Lemon “screamed” at Collins following an on-air incident on the set, with tensions continuing to rise as the show tanks and as Lemon, apparently, is unhappy sharing on-air duties with Collins and Harlow.

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