GOP Rep shunned by Congressional Black Caucus has message for 'radical left'
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., calls those saying he isn't 'Black enough' for the caucus on 'The Ingraham Angle'
The office of Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. slammed CNN after a contentious interview on Thursday he had with "New Day" anchor Brianna Keilar.
Donalds appeared on the liberal network to discuss the stonewalling from the Congressional Black Caucus, which has yet to welcome the freshman GOP lawmaker into the group despite his vocal interest in joining. The CBC currently does not have any Republican members.
However, Keilar spent much of the interview fixating on his past support for former President Trump and various voting rights bills she alleged would restrict minority voters, suggesting those factors may be "incongruent" with the CBC's mission.
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"As a Black man in America, I’m allowed to have my own thoughts on who I choose to support and who I choose not to support," Donalds responded, after criticizing Keilar for cutting him off mid-answer. Donalds said his opinion of Trump is "irrelevant" to the debate over his relationship with the CBC.
Keilar's conducted was slammed by critics on social media. Rep. Donalds' office also slammed the CNN anchor.
"We were well prepared for her to set multiple traps for the congressman to try and fall into, which he handled with ease," Donalds' communications director Harrison Fields told Fox News. "There is no doubt [W]hite liberals can’t comprehend how [B]lack people could be Republicans, especially Trump supporters, so I wouldn’t say that was surprising it was just publicized. She also was obviously justifying the CBC for denying my boss, but that was also not a surprise."
Fields went on to blast CNN as a network and their obsession with pursuing its anti-Trump "narrative."
"The bar isn’t very high for those on CNN. They usually aren’t interested in telling the truth," Fields said. "They are solely focused on their narrative, which, since Trump has been out of the White House, has been to continue to demean and damage his reputation."
CNN did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
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Following the interview, Donalds took to Twitter and reiterated his case as to why the CBC should accept his membership.
"This morning, I joined @CNN to discuss the importance of diverse thought and political ideology in the Congressional Black Caucus," the Florida congressman wrote. "As a young Black man born into the inner city, my perspective and conservative ideals should be welcomed to the CBC, not ignored."