Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was among a number of prominent progressives who tuned in to CNN during the Wednesday town hall featuring former President Donald Trump in New Hampshire.

Business Insider reported that network CEO Chris Licht had intended to use the event to return the network to its previous position as a moderate media outlet.

In the first few minutes of the event, it became clear that the network had invited Trump in order to corner him.

Trump was questioned by network host Kailtan Collins about everything from the Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol to his civil case against E. Jean Carroll — a woman who claimed Trump violated her in a New York City department store in the 1990s:

A jury awarded Carroll a partial victory but determined Trump had never violated her.

Collins made the accusation the focus of the town hall meeting.

This CNN town hall event is a stand up comedy show.

CNN looks terrible.pic.twitter.com/yjUZv8s2V4

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 11, 2023

The former president was well-prepared for Collins’ line of questioning and defended himself in a fashion that many viewers deemed to be more than sufficient.

Trump absolutely crushed that town hall. See prior tweet in thread. That was NOT the bar he even needed to meet. He hit a much higher one, despite the predictable gotcha attempts.

The potential goal worth the risk laid out in the prior tweet was met.

I'm honestly stunned.

— Rich Baris "The People's Pundit" (@Peoples_Pundit) May 11, 2023

After a fruitless attempt to corner Trump, however, the far-left congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez turned on CNN out of displeasure.

A live audience of undecided electors exhibited blatant support for Trump, which she attributed to the network.

“CNN should be ashamed of themselves,” the congresswoman wrote on Twitter during the event. “They have lost total control of this ‘town hall’ to again be manipulated into platforming election disinformation, defenses of Jan 6th, and a public attack on a sexual abuse victim.”

Ocasio-Cortez added, “The audience is cheering him on and laughing at the host.”

CNN should be ashamed of themselves.

They have lost total control of this “town hall” to again be manipulated into platforming election disinformation, defenses of Jan 6th, and a public attack on a sexual abuse victim.

The audience is cheering him on and laughing at the host.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 11, 2023

In a subsequent tweet, the Democratic lawmaker accused CNN of putting “a sexual abuse victim in harm’s way” while seemingly referencing Carroll.

“This falls squarely on CNN,” she wrote. “Everyone here saw exactly what was going to happen.”

More on this story via The Western Journal:

She concluded, “Instead they put a sexual abuse victim in harm’s way for views. This was a choice to platform lies about the election & Jan 6th w/ no plan but to have their moderator interrupted without consequence.” CONTINUE READING…