Cuomo Grills NewsMax CEO About Wayne Allyn Root: 'He's A Birther!'
Chris Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax, clearly loves profiting off of wingnut conspiracists, but doesn't want to talk about them in "polite company."
Chris Ruddy of Newsmax is like many other media executives in one respect: he loves the profits from giving air to nonsense but doesn't want responsibility for it. Chris Cuomo grilled him on Wednesday night about his network's host, Wayne Allen Root. Root made headlines this week as Donald Trump quoted Root calling Trump "The King of the Jews." (transcript via Brian Stelter's newsletter)
CUOMO: He's a birther! He's a birther!
RUDDY: Well, there's people who believe it. I disagree. I believe Obama was born in the United States. Some people believe...I don't think that's far-right conspiracy theory.
CUOMO: What else is it, if that -- You're saying Obama wasn't born in this country and it's not a far-right conspiracy theory? What is it?
RUDDY: I don't believe it is a conspiracy theory.
Cuomo later chided Ruddy's lack of accountability: "You should know a little bit more about the guys under your banner."