New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said CNN should be "ashamed of themselves" for hosting Wednesday's Town Hall with former president Donald Trump.
The New York representative said CNN's decision to host Trump on the outlet was "dangerous."
"They have lost total control of this 'town hall' to again be manipulated into platforming election disinformation, defenses of Jan 6th, and a public attack on a sexual abuse victim," Ocasio-Cortez wrote during the Town Hall. "The audience is cheering him on and laughing at the host."
"This falls squarely on CNN."
"Everyone here saw exactly what was going to happen. Instead they put a sexual abuse victim in harm’s way for views," she continued. "This was a choice to platform lies about the election & Jan 6th with no plan but to have their moderator interrupted without consequence."
Several hours after her initial comments, the New York representative followed up by suggesting the outlet was feigning ignorance regarding the former president's lawsuit with E. Jean Carroll regarding alleged battery in 1996 and subsequent defamation on behalf of the former president.
"People were sounding the alarm about this exact scenario," she said. "They let it happen anyway without a plan."
"The choice to platform election disinformation, lies about January 6th, totally unchecked and reckless claims about abortion … they need to take ownership of what just happened," she concluded. "This cannot be normalized. It’s dangerous."
Other viewers similarly criticized CNN regarding the decision to host the former president the day after Trump's court appearance with Carroll.
"It's amazing how CNN gave Trump yet another chance to abuse a professional women [sic] on live TV a day after a jury found that he had sexually abused a professional woman," wrote one user.
CNN's Wednesday Town Hall was reportedly scheduled as a 90-minute event, though was expected to run at least 75 minutes, per senior correspondent for Puck News Dylan Byers, noting the broadcast was stopped at 70 minutes.
"In other words, they could have gone longer if they wanted—which is usually what executives do with big ratings draws," Byers said.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins, who hosted the Town Hall, was criticized by some viewers as appearing to debate the former president rather than fielding questions and holding conversation per typical Town Hall etiquette.
"The only thing funnier than the Town Hall last night is the scores of media propagandists rushing to say -- all NATIONALLY TELEVISED evidence to the contrary! -- that Kaitlan Collins did well," wrote Federalist editor-in-chief Mollie Hemingway.
Another user tweeted they "enjoyed the debate" between Collins and Trump.
"Kaitlan Collins got her butt handed to her," the user continued. "[S]ad thing is, it wasn't a debate. IT WAS A GAWDDAMN TOWN HALL."
"Why the hell is Kaitlan Collins debating Trump? Did you not think Trump would have gone ham?"
