CNN fires freelancer for tweet saying ‘world today needs a Hitler’

CNN has fired a freelancer for a tweet that stated “The world today needs a Hitler,” the company said in a statement Sunday.

Adeel Raja posted the tweet just before 1 p.m. Sunday, according to the Washington Examiner, though the tweet has since been deleted. 

“Adeel Raja has never been a CNN employee,” a CNN spokesman said Sunday, when asked about the tweet.

“As a freelancer, his reporting contributed to some news gathering efforts from Islamabad. However, in light of these abhorrent statements, he will not be working with CNN again in any capacity,” he added. 

Raja could not be reached for comment. 

Raja had posted the tweet and others in reaction to the current Israeli/Palestinian conflict. 

A history of creating terrorists and standing with them! https://t.co/U36Kl1DDKh

— Adeel Raja (@adeelraja) May 13, 2021

And after his firing, Raja took to Twitter again saying he was unapologetic for the tweet because it brought attention to the Palestinian cause. 

“Glad a single tweet contributed to the #Palestine cause and brought it to limelight with me loosing [sic] my job and the West’s claim of Freedom of expression and human rights!” he tweeted.

Glad a single tweet contributed to the #Palestine cause and brought it to limelight with me loosing my job and the West’s claim of Freedom of expression and human rights! https://t.co/pWnYvZrwsS

— Adeel Raja (@adeelraja) May 17, 2021

The tweet was not the first time Raja shared his admiration for Hitler on Twitter. In 2014 Raja posted that he was supporting Germany in a sporting event because “Hitler was a German, and he did good with those jews!”

It wasn’t a single tweet. pic.twitter.com/JxNKmggwd9

— Gooner T (@Redleg94) May 17, 2021

According to a search of CNN’s website, Raja has contributed to CNN since at least 2014, the Examiner reported.

CNN did not immediately answer questions about whether it was aware of Raja’s earlier pro-Hitler tweet.