Huffington: Hold CNN Accountable for Lamont-Al Qaeda Slur

Speaking on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” Arianna Huffington said CNN host Chuck Roberts should be held accountable for saying that Ned Lamont is referred to as “The Al Qaeda candidate” when in fact no previous record of such an appellation exists.

Huffington: I mean, you had your own headline anchorman, Chuck Roberts, describe Lamont as the al Qaeda candidate. This is an equally deceitful, fraudulent, fabricated statement. There should be zero tolerance for all those deceits, whether in images or words.

Howard Kurtz: Well, what Chuck Roberts said, according to the transcript, was that some are calling Ned Lamont the al Qaeda candidate. But it’s certainly not a formulation I would have used.

Huffington: You cannot find a single person who called Lamont the al Qaeda candidate, except Chuck Roberts. And what have been the consequences when it comes to Chuck Roberts? Has he been demoted to be covering Paris Hilton or entertainment news? … It’s about time that there is that same kind of accountability that Charles is demanding from photojournalists from journalists, as well.

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At the Huffington Post, Arianna elaborated:

Indeed, an exhaustive Lexis Nexis search confirms that no one has called Lamont “the Al Qaeda candidate.” Except for Chuck Roberts. In fact, you know what you find if you Google “Al Qaeda candidate”? A lot of references to John Kerry being smeared by the RNC and its cronies during the 2004 election. Clearly, Lamont as “tha Al Qaeda candidate” is the latest rendition of an old G.O.P. tune.