CNN White House Reporter Forced To Apologize After Homophobic Tweets Surface
WARNING: This article includes some language referring to homosexuals that some readers may find offensive.
CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins apologized over the weekend for using “ignorant language” and acting “immature” while college concerning people who identify as LGBTQ.
The homosexual group Log Cabin Republicans shared screenshots from Collins’ Twitter account from 2011 when she was a student at the University of Alabama.
In one, the reporter referred to someone as a “fag,” and in another she tweeted, “Idk (I don’t know) if I wanna room with a lesbian.”
The Log Cabin Republicans wrote in response, “Past tweets reveal @CNN reporter @kaitlancollins called people ‘fag’ and was uncomfortable around lesbians.”
Past tweets reveal @CNN reporter @kaitlancollins called people “fag” and was uncomfortable around lesbians.
cc: @CNNPR @mdornic @SamFeistCNN @DavidChalian pic.twitter.com/psicXjeHJR
— Log Cabin Republicans (@LogCabinGOP) October 7, 2018
Collins issued an apology via Twitter on Sunday: “When I was in college, I used ignorant language in a few tweets to my friends. It was immature but it doesn’t represent the way I feel at all. I regret it and apologize.”
One of the most popular responses to her tweet read, “So what you’re saying is, we shouldn’t judge someone (no pun intended) by the way they acted in college? Or, say, high school?”
So what you're saying is, we shouldn't judge someone (no pun intended) by the way they acted in college? Or, say, high school?
— Jeff Crenshaw (@JeffCren) October 8, 2018
Collins aggressively covered the sexual assault and related allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh stemming from his high school and college years in the early 1980s.
Last week, Collins got into a back-and-forth with President Donald Trump during his announcement of the deal with Canada and Mexico to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The CNN correspondent pushed the president about whether he would direct the FBI to look into allegations made by Julie Swetnick that Kavanaugh was present at parties during which gang rapes had occurred.
Collins also asked whether, if Kavanaugh had lied about drinking in high school or college, “Does that mean you’ll pull his nomination?”
Trump pointed out the opposition had to go all the way back to high school to try to find something against his nominee.
“Nobody said bad about him for many, many years,” Trump said, noting that many he knew had drank during their high school years.
“Does that mean they can’t do something they want to do with their life?” he asked Collins, pointing out that Kavanaugh had admitted during testimony that he drank in high school, so he did not see the discrepancy the CNN reporter claimed.
Collins also targeted GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine for her speech in support of Kavanaugh.
This sounds like a speech Sen. Collins would have made if none of the sexual assault allegation drama had happened.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) October 5, 2018
Some came to the reporter’s defense concerning her seven-year-old tweets about homosexuals.
Matt Dormic, an executive at CNN, tweeted: “I’m a proud gay man. And I am a proud friend of @kaitlancollins. Tho I’m disappointed that she ever used the word (even as an immature college kid), I can say with certainty it doesn’t reflect her feelings toward the LGBTQ community. She’s apologized and I accept that.”
I’m a proud gay man. And I am a proud friend of @kaitlancollins. Tho I’m disappointed that she ever used the word (even as an immature college kid), I can say with certainty it doesn’t reflect her feelings toward the LGBTQ community. She’s apologized and I accept that.
— Matt Dornic (@mdornic) October 7, 2018
One Twitter user, who describes herself as a “Bama fan” and “Bama mom,” wrote: “Don’t apologize. You were a kid.”
https://twitter.com/MelissaakaMom/status/1049083376802652161
“You weren’t a public figure. My daughter got arrested for sneaking into the stadium at Auburn her senior year. That doesn’t make her criminal for the rest of her life,” she added. “Keep on doing your thing, sis.”
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