A CNN anchor compared the abundance of terror attacks in recent years to random lightning strikes during an interview Tuesday, just before the network cut to "breaking news" of yet another terrorist attack that killed at least 20 people.
During an interview with Rep. Sean Duffy (R., Wis.) about President Donald Trump's move to halt immigration to the United States from countries deemed terrorism hotspots, anchor Alisyn Camerota compared the threat of terrorism to that of random lightning strikes.
Immediately following the interview, the network cut to "breaking news" about another terror attack in Afghanistan that killed at least 20 people and wounded another 50.
The comparison appeared to surprise the lawmaker and raised eyebrows among viewers on Capitol Hill, who told the Washington Free Beacon that such a statement is the reason Americans are losing faith in the journalistic establishment.
"You know that more Americans are killed by lightning strikes every year than by terrorism, so how much do you want Americans to worry here?" Camerota asked Duffy.
"Lightning may be random, but this [terrorism] is purposeful and if the government could prevent lightning from killing people, we would. But if we can prevent terror attacks, and we can, we should," Duffy said, challenging the anchor to tell the U.S. victims of terrorism that the loss of loved ones is similar to death by lightning.
"I challenge you to have that conversation," Duffy said.
Duffy went on to say that Trump's temporary ban would help the administration put the security measures in place necessary to ensure terrorists do not infiltrate the refugee process.
One GOP aide who witnessed the exchange expressed surprise at the statement.
"No wonder Alisyn Camerota and CNN are bewildered why the media is not trusted by the American people—comparing radical Islamic terrorism to random lightning strikes shows how out of touch the media truly is," the source said.
"The media doesn't understand that fundamentally, this is about preventing terrorism," the source added. "Not only did they remind the American people how much they've covered terrorism (and all of its instances), they were all too quick to jump to a terrorist attack that killed 20 people immediately after Duffy's interview."