Video: CNN's Van Jones Says El-Sayed Must 'Denounce' an Ad Blaming Israel for High Prices, Calls It 'Very Dangerous'
Breitbart's clip write-up has Jones, a former Obama aide and CNN commentator, saying the campaign distanced itself but did not denounce the ad. He also rejects Trump's claim that El-Sayed would let jihadists in. We relied on Breitbart's text.
Breitbart posted a clip and transcript of CNN commentator Van Jones on Monday's "CNN NewsNight," talking about Michigan's Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
The ad. Jones said El-Sayed "needs to denounce" an ad that blamed Israel for high prices. "This is a very dangerous ad," he said, because it tells people that "because of the Jewish state, that's why you're suffering." He called it "an example of anti-Jewish hate" that "should be taken down immediately and denounced." Guest host Michael Smerconish noted the campaign has distanced itself from the ad. Jones replied: "They've distanced. They haven't denounced."
The policy claim. CNN's Scott Jennings said El-Sayed has argued the country can't have good education because it funds the Iron Dome. Jones called that "nuts."
What Jones also said. He called some of El-Sayed's past remarks "terrible things to say," and said he "didn't like" it when El-Sayed would not condemn the ayatollah. But he rejected the idea that El-Sayed has not distanced himself from the Muslim Brotherhood, and said President Trump's claim that El-Sayed would open the borders to "jihadists" is "a lie based on bigotry."
Note for readers: we did not watch the clip and rely on Breitbart's text. Jones is a Democrat-aligned commentator, and his criticism of the ad and the defense of El-Sayed on the Brotherhood claim both come from him. We have not seen the ad.