Exclusive — Jake Tapper Attempted to Convince GOP’s Sean Parnell to Run in Different District than Against Democrat Conor Lamb
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MATTHEW BOYLE
6 Sep 2020 Washington, DC
CNN anchor Jake Tapper tried to convince Republican Sean Parnell to run in a different congressional district than in Pennsylvania’s 17th, where he is currently challenging Democrat Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA), sources familiar with Tapper’s actions told Breitbart News.
Parnell, a rising GOP star who spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC), served as a U.S. Army Ranger Captain in the so-called “Outlaw Platoon” for 485 days on the Afghan-Pakistan border. Lamb won a special election in 2017, the first year of President Donald Trump’s administration, which eventually paved the way for Democrats to retake the House majority in 2018 in the midterm elections. His seat is one of 30 such districts nationwide where Democrats currently sit but that Trump won in 2016. For the GOP to retake the House majority in November, the Republicans need to flip just a net 17 seats — so this district is critical to Democrats remaining in power. It also will, given the intensity of the race between Lamb and Parnell, likely have an impact on the top of the ticket contest between Trump and Democrat presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden.
Tapper presents himself on his show and in public as objective and as someone who is not taking partisan sides but merely reporting facts. . .
. . . Tapper was an aide to now former Rep. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky (D-PA) on the Democrat’s campaign and then in her congressional office. After that, Tapper worked for the leftist gun control group Handgun Control, Inc., which later became the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. After those several years as a Democrat staffer and a leftist activist, Tapper went on to join the media—working first at Washington City Paper where he even wrote a column about how he went on a date with former Bill Clinton White House aide Monica Lewinsky . . .
“Tapper is a former Democrat staffer in PA,” the senior national GOP campaign staffer said. “He is a former staffer for the Brady Campaign for Gun Control. Now he is a reporter at CNN who is supposedly unbiased, but he’s still a Democrat operative at heart. By attempting to bully a star Republican recruit out of his race, which would in effect help Democrat Conor Lamb and bolster Pelosi’s chances of keeping the House, Jake has officially given up on journalism in exchange for Democrat activism. If CNN actually cares about ethical journalism, Tapper will face consequences from them.” . . . .
UPDATE 5:17 P.M. ET:
Tapper has denied to former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell that he tried to encourage Parnell to run in a different district. . . .
GOP’s House Campaign Arm: CNN’s Jake Tapper ‘Meddling’ in ‘Swing House Races’
MATTHEW BOYLE
6 Sep 2020 Washington, DC
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on Sunday night raised concerns that CNN anchor Jake Tapper may be “meddling” in House races beyond the 17th congressional district in Pennsylvania. . . .
. . . .The reason why what Tapper did is significant: If Parnell ran somewhere other than the 17th district, it is unlikely that Democrat Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA) would face a serious challenge in November’s congressional election. But since Parnell rebuked Tapper’s political advice, and instead chose to run against Lamb, the vulnerable Democrat is facing potential defeat in November.
What’s more, this district is one of 30 such House districts that President Donald Trump won in 2016 that are currently represented by Democrats. If the GOP flips just a net 17 seats from Democrat control back into Republican hands, they win back the majority and retire House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once and for all. In addition to these 30 Trump-won Democrat-controlled districts, Republicans say they are confident in another dozen or so seats where they have better chances than the conditions in southern California where now-Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) won a special election this year to replace the disgraced former Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA), who resigned amid a sex scandal with staffers in her office. . . .
. . . . And, again, while Jake Tapper and CNN have not publicly commented, but denied it in a message to Grenell, Breitbart News stands by its story.
The Federalist’s Sean Davis also confirmed Breitbart News’s original report late Sunday night, suggesting more will come out about this on Monday:We stand by our reporting. https://twitter.com/richardgrenell/status/1302715749811859458
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) September 6, 2020
What’s more, several sources familiar with Tapper’s activities on Sunday after the story broke confirm that Tapper spent much of the evening calling and texting people frantically trying to rally anyone he could to his side — and asking anyone he could for advice on what to do.I can confirm, notwithstanding his denial, that Jake Tapper directly urged Parnell not to run against Rep. Conor Lamb, a vulnerable left-wing Democrat in a swing congressional district in Pennsylvania. https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1302715749811859458
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) September 7, 2020
“For someone who likes telling people that he doesn’t take Breitbart seriously, it was enjoyable to see him spend his entire evening taking Breitbart pretty seriously,” a Trump ally who speaks with Tapper on a regular basis told Breitbart News.