CNN’s Van Jones is coming under attack from his side of the aisle, accused of being a race traitor for not being gung-ho about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg possibly bringing charges against Donald Trump. Jones, a former Obama official, had a nuanced take, reminding the audience how members of his community are routinely overcharged, which we won’t get into here, and suggesting that Bragg might step back from filing charges. He didn’t say that he should—just that he might not bring an indictment due to the shoddy nature of the case. Jones’ position is that Trump will not be judged on the Stormy Daniels porn payments scheme, which is the basis for this week’s legal drama.
Fascinating commentary/activism from CNN:
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 21, 2023
Van Jones on Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg: "I think that the heat is on this DA. I think he's going to make a very sober decision and I would not be surprised if he doesn't step back from the brink." https://t.co/qaRRA5b4cq pic.twitter.com/XQUpg3lZWf
It’s one of the fairer points made by a CNN contributor, and Jones, while a die-hard progressive, has been more honest than most on this network. He correctly called how the blue wall was hanging by a thread in 2016 and that someone like Donald Trump could shatter it. He also admitted to Project Veritas that there was nothing to the Russian collusion allegations. Yet, this Bragg commentary opened Jones to attacks that he was a race traitor (via The Blaze):
"My view about this is: I think that the heat is on this DA. I think he's going to make a very sober decision, and I would not be surprised if he doesn't step back from the brink," Jones said Monday night on CNN.
Jones added that the potential case is "proof" that progressives are not "well organized" and even suggested that Republicans are right to criticize Bragg's purported aggressive pursuit of a weak criminal case.
"I hear my conservative friends saying he is being overcharged, it is so aggressive. It's so terrible. Welcome to my world, folks," Jones said. "Prosecutors overcharging, being over-aggressive, being ridiculous with minor stuff and turning it into major stuff happens every single day in America, every courthouse in America."
[…]
"Van Jones is Van Jonesing again. Doing white supremacists bidding again," one critic said.
"This made me realize that I’ve gone over a year without being reminded that Van Jones exists, and I want to go back to that time," another critic said.
"Van Jones is not a serious person and should not be taken seriously. A sentient corn on the cob," one person said.
"Van Jones in his element. Be aware. Skin color does not mean ally," another person said.
"The Black Delegation offers Van Jones & Uncle Remus in exchange for Vanilla Ice. Seriously. Well take Vanilla Ice over over this chucklehead," Malcolm Nance reacted.
"Van Jones is the Tim Scott of Maggie Haebermans [sic]," Elie Mystal criticized.
"Van Jones is a reminder that if someone lands a cable news job and it turns out they're not any good at it, they'll do *anything* to stay on the air, even if it means helping your network boost ratings by becoming the contrarian hot take jack*** everyone tunes in just to hate on," another person said.
It’s just absurd—and some of these folks aren’t trolls. Jones is no fan of Trump, but he’s now in the ‘Uncle Tom’ category because he doesn’t think a heinous shallow legal case against Trump should be at the forefront against him. Not shocking, but still amusing that probably one of the most left-wing commentators on a network is being trashed for being insufficiently anti-Trump.
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