CNN has cut ties with contributor and former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, according to multiple reports. It comes about a month after a speech in which Santorum said there was “nothing here” when the United States was founded, a comment which angered Native Americans and others.
Huffington Post first reported the parting of ways, citing a CNN senior executive. Other outlets later independently confirmed the move.
At an April 23 speech before Young America's Foundation, a conservative youth organization, Santorum said immigrants created a nation based on the Judeo-Christian ethic from a blank slate.
“We birthed a nation from nothing,” he said. “Yes, there were Native Americans, but there isn't much Native American culture in American culture.” Those comments were swiftly criticized.
Santorum was invited onto Chris Cuomo's CNN prime-time show to explain himself. Santorum said he “misspoke” in the sense that it wasn't clear that he was speaking in the context of the founding of the United States government.
The National Congress of American Indians called for CNN to fire Santorum after that appearance on Cuomo's show. The group's president, Fawn Sharp, called Santorum's comments arrogant.
“I was optimistic he would own it, he would recognize it and he would apologize,” Sharp said, “but he did none of those things.”
The CNN executive who spoke to Huffington Post indicated that network leadership also was not happy with Santorum's response on Cuomo's show.
"None of the anchors wanted to book him,” said the executive, according to Huffington Post. “So he was essentially benched anyway.”
