Today of all days is probably not the day for CNN to try to take a nuanced look at post-9/11 America. And yet, that’s exactly what John Avlon did today:

Oh boy.

No way — ?????? (@ChuckEChaves) September 11, 2019

That has to be shopped. It can't be real. But even as I'm telling myself that, a part of me is thinking "yeah that sounds exactly like CNN." — ?ThatChosenOne? (@ThatMichiganGir) September 11, 2019

This is the sort of hot take we’ve come to expect from CNN …

It is indeed.

actual quote: “Here's a startling statistic: since 9/11, right-wing terrorists killed more people in the United States than jihadist terrorist.” Ah, yes. they are the worst if you discount the worst. — T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) September 11, 2019

Wow. Just wow. — Druw (@chidiscourse23) September 11, 2019

Insane. — Mr. Nuclear Cocaine (@MrNukemCocaine) September 11, 2019

Now, to be fair, the “Right-Wingers Are America’s Deadliest Terrorists” bit is not from Avlon himself, but from an August Slate piece based on a study by New America. Here’s the full “Reality Check” segment for context:

>> @JohnAvlon: "To truly learn the lessons of 9/11 is to resolve not to let hate win, or fear define us" pic.twitter.com/A1kvpYPwcr — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 11, 2019

Still, though, 18 years later, this really isn’t all that helpful. Giving oxygen to the tiresome “since 9/11, right-wing terrorists are the deadliest terrorists” BS adds nothing constructive to the discussion (not to mention conflating white supremacists with right-wingers). And constantly focusing on the division is a pretty surefire way to ensure that division persists.