“They realized they can’t quash Trump like a bug, so they went after this private citizen.” –@HeyTammyBruce on #CNNblackmail pic.twitter.com/XK6zKV3a55 — FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) July 5, 2017

Almost immediately after CNN reported on the Reddit user who made the infamous CNN wrestling video that President Donald Trump tweeted out earlier this week, the Twitter hashtag #CNNBlackmail began trending. Why? Because of this section:

CNN is not publishing “HanA**holeSolo’s” name because he is a private citizen who has issued an extensive statement of apology, showed his remorse by saying he has taken down all his offending posts, and because he said he is not going to repeat this ugly behavior on social media again. In addition, he said his statement could serve as an example to others not to do the same. CNN reserves the right to publish his identity should any of that change.

This was seen by many — especially by Trump supporters and those on the right — as CNN threatening to out the user’s identity if he didn’t uphold his promise not to engage in particular behavior. One of those who was quite outspoken about CNN’s actions in finding the meme maker and reporting on him was Fox News contributor and talk radio host Tammy Bruce.

Appearing on Fox & Friends this morning, Bruce railed against the network, claiming that they decided to target a “private citizen” because they “realized they can’t quash Trump like a bug.” She also felt that CNN used the Reddit user as a way to get their “pound of flesh” and the network was sending a message that they can destroy a private individual’s life.

“This, of course, proves President Trump’s point that the media is so consumed with their loathing that they can’t see past themselves and they’ve got to be fed in some manner and that the American people can’t ultimately trust what they end up doing,” Bruce exclaimed.

Those are some strong words by Tammy. It seems she’s extremely concerned with this individual’s privacy and how a large media outlet seems to be intimidating him into acting a certain way lest he be publicly exposed — potentially causing him personal embarrassment, loss of employment or even worse.

All of that righteous indignation, however, falls absolutely flat because it wasn’t that long ago when she was calling a ten-year-old autistic kid a “snowflake” and slamming his parents all because the boy asked for an apology from Vice-President Mike Pence.

For the uninitiated, back in May, Bruce and Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer devoted a TV segment to calling out the way a young kid was raised following a viral video of the boy getting bopped on the head during an event with Pence. Regarding the child’s insistence on getting an apology from Pence, Bruce complained that the moment was proof that parents are now “giving birth to snowflakes” in need of a “safe space.”

The conservative commentator would go on to issue an apology, but only after the boy’s mother appeared on CNN’s The Lead to explain how hurtful that segment was while asking those in the media to not “use kids” in this manner on TV.

So, yeah, spare me the outrage over CNN’s decision to not name a private individual in apparent exchange for good behavior — something they’ve since declined they actually offered to the person — when you’ve engaged in far more detrimental behavior when talking about someone not in the public eye.

Watch the clip of Bruce above, via Fox News.

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.