CNN’s Smerconish Responds to Viewers Complaining He Was Too ‘Nice’ to MAGA Star Rudy Giuliani: ‘Does That Make Me a Commie?!’ 

CNN’s Michael Smerconish pushed back on viewers complaining he was too “nice” to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani this week in an interview focused on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Smerconish responded to critics on Saturday while answering X messages from viewers. After answering one person calling him a “commie,” Smerconish turned to another commenter who said, “the right mayor at the right time,” referring to Giuliani being mayor during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Smerconish said he was “nice” to Giuliani because he remembers his leadership in the aftermath of 9/11:

Yeah, Jeff, I agree with you. Look, you know, people are like, oh, how can you be so nice to Rudy? Because I remember Rudy. I remember Rudy on that day and at that time and what was so desperately needed. And 25 years is a time of reflection, and I’m not going to forget that and I’m not afraid to say it. You heard me to say to him. I said, mayor, you’ve p*ssed me off in the last 25 years. He said, well, you did the same to me. But I’d rather have the civil dialogue with him and I’ll never forget what he did for the country. That’s it. By the way, does that make me a commie?!

Earlier in the show Smerconish had aired a piece of his Giuliani interview where he predicted people would complain about how civil he was, considering Giuliani’s history as an attorney for President Donald Trump pushing 2020 election conspiracy theories.

“I want to address all of those who will listen and all of those who will watch, and they’ll say, you know, you spent a half hour with mayor Giuliani and you didn’t ask him about Trump, and you didn’t ask him about this, and you didn’t ask about that. And here’s what I want to say. I want to say, Mayor Giuliani, in the last 25 years has p*ssed me off too,” Smerconish told Giuliani in their interview.

He added that he’s “forever grateful” for Giuliani’s time as mayor.

“Michael, I appreciate that. Of course I’ve disagreed with you too, in all that time,” Giuliani said. “And I do believe I was doing the right thing during that period. It’s the same Rudy Giuliani that was [mayor during] 9/11… who stood up for a president who was persecuted, but and was persecuted himself. But having said that, I understand that too. I understand that people disagree with me on things and never, never have held that a grudge or anything like that.”

Watch above via CNN.

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