CNN’s Don Lemon appeared to diss Jon Stewart during a hot-mic moment — saying the former “Daily Show” host has more “leeway” as a comedian following Stewart’s tense exchange with a Pentagon official.
During a segment on “CNN This Morning” Monday, a clip was played of Stewart, 60, interviewing US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks about the military’s inability to take care of service members despite its $850 billion budget.
“If I give you a billion dollars, and you can’t tell me what happened to it? That to me is wasteful. That means you are not responsible,” he told Hicks. “But if you can’t tell me where it went, then what am I supposed to think?
“We got out of 20 years of war and the Pentagon got a $50 billion raise. Like that’s shocking to me now,” Stewart continued.
“I may not understand exactly the ins and outs and the incredible magic of an audit, but I’m a human being who lives on the Earth and can’t figure out how $850 billion to a department means that the rank and file still have to be on food stamps.
“Like to me, that’s f— corruption,” Stewart seethed.
When the clip ended, Lemon, 57, appeared to take a shot at Stewart.
“He gets a lot of leeway with the comedian thing, though,” the embattled host was heard saying. more
Stewart is in a similar boat as Scott Adams in that he has F-You money and can do whatever he wants. And he doesn’t have a regular show, a company he is obligated to comply with. Lemon has got to have plenty of money – but if he wants to keep his job he has to do what his employer says.
That said, I can’t imagine what Lemon would be angry about in the quoted part above. Also, Stewart seems a bit to me like the old Jake Tapper, who would about 10-20% actually push a rational agenda – but really seemed to be more of a cover to rationalize his leftist commentary the rest of the time. Of course Tapper doesn’t even bother anymore.
Lemon? Stewart? So what? Who cares? I don’t. About either one of them.
Lemon later added that Stewart’s dick tasted like shit.