CNN Blackmails Trump 'Body Slam' Video Creator

CNN threatened Tuesday to expose the identity of the Reddit user who had claimed credit for creating the spoof wrestling video that President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday morning, showing him fighting the cable network.


After reporting Monday that the Reddit user, “HanAssholeSolo,” had a history of racist and antisemitic tweets, CNN tracked him (apparently, he is male) down and attempted to make contact with him by email and telephone.



On Tuesday, the Reddit user posted an apology (since deleted, but reprinted in full below, via Buzzfeed News).



CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski then reported Tuesday that CNN had “identified the man behind the account,” and had spoken with the Reddit user after he posted his apology. The Reddit user reportedly “asked to not be named out of fear for his personal safety and for the public embarrassment it would bring to him and his family,” Kaczynski said.



Ultimately, CNN decided not to reveal his identity — not for safety reasons, but for political ones, apparently reward ing him for apologizing and recanting his views. In addition, CNN threatened to expose the Reddit user’s identity in future if it disapproved of his behavior or his statements — essentially blackmailing him:



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.