CNN Panelist Gets Brutally Fact-Checked After Playing Race Card Over Redistricting

Former New York Times columnist Charles Blow received a brutal fact-check on Thursday after he accused conservative podcaster Isabel Brown of being racist during a discussion on Congressional redistricting.

The Supreme Court allowed Texas to use maps enacted after Texas Democrats in the state House of Representatives fled to Democratic-controlled states like New York and Illinois to thwart a special session of the body to consider redistricting that could net Republicans multiple seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. After Brown called efforts to play the race card “really pathetic” during the discussion on “CNN NewsNight,” she pointed out a similar move by California.

“Breaking news, a Republican state tried to create more Republican congressional seats under a Republican governor and conservative legislature,” Brown said. “California is doing the exact same thing as a heavily blue state trying to gain more seats for the Democrat Party in Congress to represent California, which many people would say is probably the most blue it’s ever been, especially with the exodus of so many millions of conservatives leaving California under the reign of Gavin Newsom.”

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“When people deny racism, it says a lot about that,” Blow claimed, with Brown responding, “It’s not denying the existence of racism. This is a Republican state trying to create more Republican seats in Congress to represent their state’s majority.”

Blow badgered Brown, insisting that she answer how the creation of Republican-leaning districts was done.

“How did they do it? By disenfranchising black and brown people,” Blow claimed. “But you don’t want to say that, because it says a lot about you.”

“Well, the problem is, Charles, the worst part about getting into a fight is when you get punched in the face back. Do you think it’s a coincidence that 40 percent of Californians voted for Donald Trump but only nine out of 51 members of Congress are in Republican plus districts?” former Republican City Councilman Joe Borelli of New York City responded. “Or that out of, I think 26 members of the House here where Republicans, voted 40 percent for Donald Trump, there’s only seven members of Republicans. There’s no Republicans in any district in New England.”

Redistricting is the re-drawing of a state’s congressional districts and state and local districts that is required to take place after the Census, which occurs every ten years as required by the Constitution. New York re-drew its congressional districts after the 2022 midterm elections, creating a map that endangered as many as six out of the 11 Republicans elected to the House of Representatives that year.

“Have you ever seen Connecticut’s first district, right? It’s like a crescent moon. And if you overlay the precincts of Connecticut, you’ll see that they just carved out the Republican districts to be in three separate congressional districts,” Borelli reminded Blow. “So again, this is, as Isabel pointed out, a Republican state, doing what Republican states tend to do just like what Democrats states tend to do.”

“Remember, New York was the first person to try midterm redistricting last year, right?” Borelli continued. “So this is the second state that’s trying to do this. I’m not surprised that we’re having the domino effect, but let the chips fall where they may.”