NYC Radio: FL A-G Has Issues With Anderson Cooper Interview

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has accused CNN’s Anderson Cooper of editing an interview with her concerning the Orlando terror attack.

Bondi told Len Berman and Todd Schnitt in the Morning on WOR 710 AM she went into the interview believing they were going to talk about helping victims, price gouging and donation scams. But Cooper also questioned Bondi about whether she considered herself a “champion of the gay community,” despite her office’s stance on same sex marriage.

“We thought Anderson Cooper had a huge audience to help people, not creating more anger and havoc and hatred,” Bondi said. “Yesterday was about unity.”

During the interview, Cooper challenged Bondi’s record with the LGBT community in Florida. “I have never really seen you talk about gays and lesbians and transgender people in a positive way until now,” Cooper said. “I’m telling you what people have been telling me to ask you: moving forward, do you see yourself as being a vocal champion for gay and lesbian citizens in the state?”

“The only thing I’m championing are human beings whose lives were lost to terror,” Bondi shot back.

Bondi was also upset with the question, saying Cooper's show was filming in front of a hospital where people were clinging to life.

“There’s a time and place for everything, but yesterday wasn’t the time nor the place in front of a hospital when we could have been helping victims,” she said.

Bondi called Cooper “the champion for the LGBT community” and said he could have been helping people.  She said all the interview did was “encourage anger and hate.”

Here is the entire interview...



On his show Wednesday night, Cooper said he tries to avoid becoming part of the story. But he described some of Bondi's comments "factually incorrect" and said she's "either mistaken or not telling the truth."

He also replayed the full interview and commented on her reaction.

"Let's be real here. Ms. Bondi’s big complaint seems to be that I asked in the wake of a massacre of gay and lesbian citizens about her new statements about the gay community and about her old ones," Cooper told viewers. "For the record, my interview was not filled with any anger. I was respectful before the interview, I was respectful during the interview, and I was respectful after the interview."

CNN responded to Bondi's comments Wednesday afternoon: "Ms. Bondi’s interview with Anderson Cooper aired live at 2 p.m., in full and in its entirety yesterday on CNN. The 8 p.m. program re-aired a portion from that interview. The full interview (as well as several clips) has been posted on CNN.com since yesterday."