Story at a glance
- In an April speech to conservative youth group the Young America’s Foundation, Santorum disparaged Native American culture and said “there was nothing here” before European colonists arrived.
- “We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here. I mean, yes, we have Native Americans but candidly, there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture,” Santorum said.
- HuffPost on Saturday was the first to report CNN terminated its contract with Santorum.
CNN is parting ways with former Republican senator and political commentator Rick Santorum following recent remarks he made about Native Americans.
In an April speech to conservative youth group the Young America’s Foundation, Santorum disparaged Native American culture and said “there was nothing here” before European colonists arrived.
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“We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here. I mean, yes, we have Native Americans but candidly, there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture,” Santorum said.
The remarks from Santorum sparked backlash among Indigenous groups and prompted calls for CNN to drop the former presidential candidate from the network.
“Rick Santorum is an unhinged and embarrassing racist who disgraces CNN and any other media company that provides him a platform,” Fawn Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians, said in a statement last month.
“Any mainstream media organization should fire him or face a boycott from more than 500 Tribal Nations and our allies from across the country and worldwide,” Sharp said.
Santorum earlier this month appeared on Chris Cuomo’s CNN show, where he said he “misspoke.”
“People say I’m trying to dismiss what happened to the Native Americans,” he said. “Far from it. The way we treated Native Americans was horrific. It goes against every bone and everything I’ve ever fought for as a leader in the Congress.”
HuffPost on Saturday was the first to report CNN terminated its contract with Santorum following his appearance with Cuomo.
“Leadership wasn’t particularly satisfied with that appearance. None of the anchors wanted to book him,” a CNN senior executive told the news outlet. “So he was essentially benched anyway.”
In a tweet Saturday night, Santorum said he appreciated the opportunity to provide his perspective over the past four years.
“When I signed with CNN, I understood I would be providing commentary that is not regularly heard by the typical CNN viewer,” he tweeted.
“I am committed to continuing the fight for our conservative principles and values,” he added.
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