CNN’s Camerota thrilled Wrestling GIF guy was tracked down and apologized

CNN’s Camerota thrilled Wrestling GIF guy was tracked down and apologized

Was the Godfather pleasantly surprised that someone saw the light after waking up with a horse head in his bed? Don’t think so.

But for some reason, CNN host Alisyn Camerota expressed surprise and delight that the guy who created the video of Donald Trump taking down someone with the CNN logo superimposed on his face has apologized — after CNN unmasked him and tracked him down.

As our Mike Lachance has reported, CNN tracked down the clip creator and threatened to dox him—to expose his identity and location—if he backed off his apology.

CNN and other media are pushing the line that if was proper to unmask the guy because he also had racist and anti-Semitic anonymous posts. But that’s not why CNN did this. CNN tracked the guy down because he creating a GIF mocking CNN, that then was used by CNN’s arch enemy, Trump.

Camerota is either extremely naive—or extremely cynical. Co-host Chris Cuomo wasn’t so wide-eyed, telling Camerota “when exposed, and identified, he then decided to apologize.”

But Camerota wouldn’t quit her Pollyanna impersonation, saying that she saw the apology as a possible “glimmer of hope.”

ALISYN CAMEROTA: Something remarkable I thought happened yesterday. I thought it was remarkable that CNN found the Reddit user who created the gif of Donald Trump and the wrestling video and where he punches CNN. So the investigative team went back and found the guy who first created this, who took credit for it—and then here comes the remarkable part: he apologized. He apologized for having done this.

. . .

The reason that I think this is so notable, Chris Cillizza, is because this is a very full-throated, I think, genuine, honest apology. He has also asked that we not reveal his name or whereabouts and we at CNN are honoring that because he’s apologized and he thinks that he would then be in danger and at risk if other people knew his name. We get it. We understand that. So I don’t know, I just think that this is just a very interesting addendum to this whole story.

. . .

CHRIS CUOMO: When exposed and identified, he then decided —

CAMEROTA: — good enough!

CUOMO: — to apologize for multiple entries on his account that all to the same [unintelligble] of hate.

CAMEROTA: I get you. But a lot of people don’t apologize even when exposed. I just see this as a possible glimmer of hope.

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