CNN reportedly has been caught using a liberal comedian propagandist in a report on Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker.
An alleged Walker supporter was interviewed by CNN in a report that was not a parody — or so the network thought — Mediaite reported Thursday.
The so-called supporter was actually a comedian who had been trolling Republicans for "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for years, according to the report.
A "CNN Newsroom" interviewer talked to "someone who is standing by Walker despite the scandals that have plagued his campaign." That someone was Jacob Byrd, the character played by comedian Tony Barbieri for Kimmel.
Byrd gave a perfunctory response on why he supposedly backs Walker.
"I just think how he talks and, like, the stories he tells, and you know," said Byrd, as his name credit read on the chyron, while he was wearing a shirt that read "I'm with Her-Schel," a nob to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign slogan. "He's off the cuff.
"He's not all serious about everything. Everything is not a big deal to him, you know? Is he the best candidate for the job? Maybe not. Is he the most qualified guy in the world? I dunno, maybe not, but does he have a great attitude? Yes!"
The interview was pitched as a serious review of a Walker supporter, but Byrd has mocked GOP voters before at events, including a presidential debate and Donald Trump fundraisers.
Byrd also has mocked supporters at a flat-earther conference.
Mediaite reportedly reached out to CNN for a response to being "hoodwinked," but had not received one.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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