On Wednesday night, an American Airlines regional jet collided with an Army UH-60 helicopter over the Potomac River. Rescue and recovery operations are currently underway. Latest reports indicate that 27 bodies have already been recovered from the icy waters, and there aren’t expected to be any survivors.
The jet, flying in from Wichita, Kan., was carrying approximately 64 passengers, including members of the U.S. figure skating team and their coaches. As first responders worked tirelessly to locate victims and retrieve the wreckage submerged in the river, CNN promptly chose to politicize the tragedy. Instead of focusing on the unfolding tragedy, anchor Abby Phillip wasted no time in attempting to link the incident to President Trump, blaming the transition of the new administration.
“Look, it’s January 29th. We are just nine days out from a presidential transition, an administrative transition. The FAA administrator resigned at the end of the Biden administration. So there is no permanent confirmed FAA administrator right now,” she said. “This is going to be a time when there’s going to be a lot of public communication and a lot of investigation of what happened here."
Is it any wonder that instead of reporting the facts, the media rushes to push a politicized narrative? Prioritizing the blame game over the lives lost reflects a disturbing trend. This isn't just news; it's a shameful display of how some in the media can exploit even the darkest moments for their own agenda.
Former Department of Transportation Inspector General Mary Schiavo, who was on with Phillip, quickly debunked the idea that there was any connection between the accident and the Trump transition, noting that air traffic controllers, who operate independently of political changes, were in full control of the airspace.
“Well, the transition period for aviation, not just in the D.C. area, but for all of the United States was extremely important,” she began. “We have so many aviation issues brewing right now, and there's been, you know, criticism of our national and our international aviation policy, routes, access to aviation, the constant roller coaster of hiring and firing of pilots. Who has access? What are the routes? What are we going to do to get—to get good service?”
She continued. "And throw in on top of that, you know, things like, you know, the drone traffic. And so, I think it's very important. But first and foremost is this — these operations were entirely under the control of air traffic controllers. This is controlled airspace. And, of course, air traffic controllers do not come and go with a change of political administration. You know, we have a, fortunately, a very, you know, highly trained career cadre of air traffic controllers, and that's important. So, the politics of the situation should have had no impact whatsoever on the air traffic controllers and the good, you know, good positive air traffic control." [Emphasis added.]
The key question, according to Schiavo, is how the aircraft lost separation, leading to the collision. Schiavo expressed confidence that the NTSB will quickly determine the cause, as the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder will provide crucial insights, with a preliminary report expected within days.
"The question will be, how did separation get lost?" Schiavo said. "How did these planes get so close to each other? And without a doubt, the NTSB will get to the bottom of this, you know, really quickly because this [is a] civilian aircraft, although it's, you know, the CRJ's, some of them do have some years on them. Some of them are not the newest planes out there. But it will have, of course, the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data reporter. And… I think that will capture what occurred very quickly. The NTSB will have a preliminary report probably within a couple days."
Minutes after the DCA plane crash, CNN anchor Abby Phillip is already trying to blame the Trump admin for the crash.
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 30, 2025
Callous and yet so entirely predictable. pic.twitter.com/FEhZkeey8b
Phillip was not the only one from CNN to demonstrate a shocking lack of class amidst tragedy. CNN commentator Bakari Sellers, in a moment that could only be described as appallingly tone-deaf, decided to share a screenshot on X about a federal hiring freeze with the caption "8 days ago."
His followers rightfully called him out for politicizing the tragedy, and he eventually deleted the post.
You deleted the post because dozens of Americans are currently being fished out of the Potomac, and rather than have reverence for the victims, you chose to dishonestly (and despicably) blame @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/djduf7OqE3
— Chet Cannon (@Chet_Cannon) January 30, 2025
As you can see, rather than owning up to his egregious timing, Sellers casually brushed it off, stating he was just "frustrated, upset, and disturbed with where we are as a country."
Related: You Won’t Believe What Caused Bernie Sanders to Melt Down at Kennedy’s Hearing
So, according to Sellers, it's not only Trump’s fault that a horrific accident occurred, but his own inability to exercise even a shred of decency is somehow Trump’s fault, too? This mentality is infuriating. It’s a textbook example of how some commentators prioritize their narratives over compassion. Leave it to Bakari Sellers to turn a tragedy into a personal grievance. Unbelievable.
This is CNN.
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